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THE 

LAWS OF AUCTION BRIDGE 



AUCTION BRIDGE 




CONTAINING THE OFFICIAL LAWS OF 
AUCTION BRIDGE AS ADOPTED 
AND USED BY THE LEAD- 
ING CLUBS. 



AUTHOR OF " FOSTER'S COMPLETE HOYLE," " FOSTER'S 
WHIST MANUAL," ''FOSTER'S WHIST TACTICS," "FOS- 
TER'S DUPLICATE WHIST," "FOSTER'S COMPLETE 
BRIDGE," "FOSTER'S PRACTICAL POKER," 
POCKET GUIDE TO MODERN WHIST," AND 
THE INVENTER OF SELF-PLAYING BRIDGE 
CARDS AND THE FOSTER WHIST 
MARKERS 




BY 



R. F. FOSTER 





NEW YORK 
FREDERICK A. STOKES COMPANY 

PUBLISHERS 




LIBRARY of CONGRESS 
Two Copies Received 

CLASS eC 



Copyright, 1908, by 
FREDERICK A. STOKES COMPANY 



All rights reser^-ved 



CONTENTS 

PAGE 



INTRODUCTION 9 

LAWS OF THE GAME .... 19 

DESCRIPTION OF THE GA^^IE . 47 

TACTICS OF THE GA^NIE ... 67 

Bidding 68 

No-Trump Declarations ... 70, 

Red Suit Declarations .... 76 

Black Suit Declarations ... 80 

Overbidding 82 

Doubling 91 

Opening Leads 94 

Leading Against Trumps ... 99 

Leading Against No-Tru^ipers . 106 

Third Hand Play 108 

Return Leads 112 

Second Hand Play 113 

The Declarer's Play . . . . 115 

Discarding ....... 120 

CONCLUSION 122 

VARIETIES OF AUCTION 

BRIDGE 123 



INTRODUCTION 



INTRODUCTION 



Those who have watched the trend of e\'^nts 
in the world of cards must have been hii- 
pressed by the constantly increasing popu- 
larity of ganies in which there is a bidding- 
element ; games in which there is no favored 
player who inherits the right of making the 
trump, or turning it up from among his own 
car.is, but in which everyone must compete in 
the open market for the advantage. In some 
games these special privileges must be paid 
for in some way, and if you want them you 
must be willing to risk as much or more as 
any other player at the table in order to se- 
cure them. 

This is undoubtedly in acordance with the 
spirit of modern civilization ; for card games, 
like anything else, follow the development of 
the race, and mirror the conditions of society 
and the state of business morals. If we re- 
view the favorite card games of the past 
twenty years, we shall find that there has been 
a constant tendency towards bidding games, 
in which certain privileges, especially that of 



10 



INTRODUCTION 



naming the trump, are sold at auction. Bos- 
ton, Solo Whist, Cinch, Auction Pitch, Five 
Hundred, Nap, Auction Pinochle, and Skat, 
will readily occur to the reader. Several of 
these games are changes from older forms in 
which the trump was turned up, and where 
such a change has been introduced it has been 
found almost impossible to get players to 
return to the old style. 

That Bridge would not escape the general 
tendency was inevitable. When certain colors 
become the fashion, they impress themselves 
upon everything, and you suddenly find your- 
self tired of a dress which is not up to the 
latest styles. 

Bridge, probably because it lacks the bid- 
ding element, shows some signs of going out 
of style, and it certainly has not the rage it 
had *a few years ago. There is no bidding 
for anything. The dealer declares by divine 
right, and all his adversaries can do is to make 
the declaration a little more expensive for 
him if they think it is a bad one ; a policy 
which sometimes reacts upon themselves. 
They cannot change his decision. They can- 
not make a better declaration, no matter what 
cards they hold. The dealer picks up his 
thirteen cards and says, " Diamonds are 



INTRODUCTION 



II 



trumps." As it turns out, between his cards 
and his partner's, the odd trick with simple 
honors was a certainty in spite of the best 
possible play on the part of his adversaries ; 
therefore he scores 6 and 12 — a total of 18 
on the deal. 

Had the adversaries been allowed to say 
anything about their cards on that deal, they 
would perhaps have made it hearts, and won 
five by cards, with four honors in one hand — 
a total of 104. But the game of Bridge is 
so contrived that the player cannot get out of 
his cards what they are worth unless he has 
the deal. Even then he sometimes misses it 
pretty badly through not knowing what 
Dummy holds. 

Such things as this are continually happen- 
ing: The dealer passes it and Dummy makes 
it spades. Eldest hand finds he has four aces. 
All he can do is to make spades worth four ; 
but this does not deprive the dealer's side of 
the score for four honors, and although the 
dealer loses four by cards, making nothing 
but three tricks in trumps, he is only eight 
points to the bad on the deal. Had the eldest 
hand been allowed to play the cards dealt him 
for what they were worth, he would have 
made a Grand Slam at no-trumps, with a 



12 



INTRODUCTION 



hundred aces, or 224 points instead of 16, to 
say nothing of a game in. 

More than half of a player's strength is 
wasted in Bridge; because the best game at 
the table is so seldom played. You may hold 
splendid cards, but unless you hold them at 
the right time, when it is your deal, or when 
the make fits your hand, your cards are good 
for little or nothing. What use are five hon- 
ors in hearts against a diamond make with a 
solid club suit behind it? It is just Hke hold- 
ing a full hand in Poker when no one comes 
in. 

Everyone must have observed countless oc- 
casions upon which he secretly wished that 
the dealer would be tempted to go no-trumps, 
or that Dummy would make it a weak heart. 
How many times you would like to make the 
trump when it is not your deal? How often 
have you felt that you would be willing to give 
the dealer points for his privilege, simply to 
make the most of your own cards? 

Another continual source of loss in Bridge 
is due to ignorance of the contents of the 
partner's hand, and this is as true of the 
dealer and his partner as it is of the leader 
and his partner. Probably fifty per cent, of 
the declarations could be improved upon if 



INTRODUCTION 



13 



one had any idea of eV|en one suit in the part- 
ner's hand; just as many a game could be 
saved if one adversary knew what to lead 
to the other. 

Auction Bridge provides the coveted op- 
portunity to play your cards for all they are 
worth, no matt,er who deals, and it also fur- 
nishes the player with more or less informa- 
tion as to the possibilities of his partner's 
hand, in one suit if not in all. This informa- 
tion is useful either for declaring or for play- 
ing against the declaration. In this respect, 
the game becomics a more actual partnership 
than straight Bridge, and at the same time it 
offers a wider range for the exercise of per- 
sonal judgment, as opposed to dumb luck. 
Above all, it holds ample reward for the first 
attribute of a good player in any game — 
courage. 

Just when or how this innovation of bid- 
ding for the privilege of naming the trump 
at Bridge was first suggested, it is difficult 
to say ; but it undoubtedly came from players 
who were familiar with the attractions of the 
bidding element in other and similar games. 
A person who has played one or two good 
auction games soon wants to play all games 
that way. 



14 



INTRODUCTION 



There are three methods of settling upon 
the play,er who shall have the privilege of 
naming the trump at Auction Bridge, involv- 
ing three different styles of bidding, and there 
are also various ways of adjusting the score 
when the bidder fails to make good. 

In the first method, the bidder not only 
names the suit but the number of tricks he 
proposes to take if that suit be trumps, the 
rank of the bids being determined by their 
point value, each player in turn being allowed 
to outbid the other and to be outbid again. 

In the second method, the suit only is 
named, and the rank of the suits determines 
the rank of the bids. As no tricks are guar- 
anteed, a player who could make four odd in 
diamonds would be outbid by one who had 
nothing but the odd in hearts ; because hearts 
ranked higher as a suit. 

In the third method, the bidding is by 
points, neither suit nor tricks being named, 
and the value of the honors is also included 
in the amount named. If a player bids twenty- 
four, it is impossible to say whether he is 
going to try for two by cards at no-trump, or 
three in hearts, or four in diamonds, or four 
in spades with four honors, or A\hat it will 
be. The defect of this method is, that it gives 



INTRODUCTION 



15 



the partner no hint as to the suit in which the 
bidder is strong, and no hint to the leader as 
to the suit with which to attack if the player 
is overbid. 

Of these three methods, it would seem that 
the first, for which special rules have been 
drawn up, is the fairest to all concerned, and 
gives the best chance for the display of skill. 
It is to the description of that form of the 
game, therefor,e, that the main body of the 
present text-book has been devoted. The 
other forms or variations, one of which is bor- 
rowed from the Russian game of Siberiac, 
and the other from the Am:erican game of 
Skat, have been separately described at the 
end. The Laws refer exclusively to the first 
form. 

As it is more than probable that many per- 
sons will tak^e up Auction Bridge who have 
never played straight Bridge, the following 
pages have been written with a view to a cer- 
tain completeness, so that it shall not be neces- 
sary for the reader to learn Bridge before be- 
ing able to understand what is here said about 
Auction Bridge. 

R. F. FOSTER. 



THE 

LAWS OF AUCTION BRIDGE 



THE 

Laws of Auction Bridge 

Reprinted by permission of The Whist Club of New 
York; Revised to October ist, 1908. 

The Paragraphs relating exclusively to Auction 
Bridge, are reprinted by permission of the 
Portland and Bath Clubs; Revised 
to September 1st, 1908. 

THE RUBBER 

1. The partners first winning two games 
win the rubber. If the first two games decide 
the rubber, a third is not played. 

SCORING 

2. A game consists of thirty points ob- 
tained by tricks when the declarer fulfils his 
contract, exclusive of any points counted for 
honors, chicane, slam, little slam, or under- 
tricks. 

3. Every deal is played out, and any points 
in excess of the thirty necessary for the game 
are counted. 

4. When the declarer fulfills his contract, 
each trick above six counts towards the game, 
two points when spades are trumps, four when 



THE LAWS OF AUCTION BRIDGE 



clubs are trumps, six when diamonds are 
trumps, eight when hearts are tramps, and 
twelve when th,ere are no tramps. 

5. Honors are ace, king, queen, knave, and 
ten of the trump suit; or the four aces when 
no tramp is declared. 

6. Honors are credited in the honor 
column to the original holders, being vahied 
as follows: 



When a Trump is Declared. 

3 hcsnors beld between partners equal value ©f 2 tricks. 
^ i i it <( (( (( 4<< 
^{( (( (( i( i i- (( ^(( 

4 ' * * * in 1 hand * * ' ' 8 * * 



I 5th in ) 

4 1 *W partner's 9 

f hand j 



When No Trump is Declared, 

3 aces held between partners count 30 

4 <« tt << " <' 4Q 

4 ** in one hand " 100 



7. Slam is made when seven by cards is 
scored, independently of tricks taken as pen- 
alty for the revoke; it adds forty points to 
the honor count.^ 

1 Law 87 prohibits the revoking side from scoring 
slam or little slam. 



THE LAWS OF AUCTION BRIDGE 21 



8. Little slam is made when six by cards 
is similarly scored ; it adds twenty points to 
the honor count, - 

9. Chicane (one hand void of trumps) is 
equal in value to simple honors, i. e., if the 
partners, one of whom has chicane, score hon- 
ors, it adds the value of three honors to their 
honor score ; if the adversaries score honors, 
it deducts that value from theirs. Double 
chicane (both hands void of trumps) is equal 
in value to four honors, and that value must 
be deducted from the honor score of the ad- 
versaries. 

10. The value of honors, slam, little slam 
or chicane, is not affected by doubling or re- 
doubling. 

11. At the conclusion of a rubber the trick 
and honor scores of each side are added, and 
two hundred and fifty points added to the 
score of the winners. The difference between 
the completed scores is the number of points 
of the rubber. 

12. A proved error in the honor score may 
be corrected at any time before the score of 
the rubber has been made up and agreed upon. 

13. A proved error in the trick score may 
be corrected prior to the conclusion of the 

2 Ibid. 



22 THE LAWS OF AUCTION BRIDGE 



game in which it occurred. Such game shall 
not be considered concluded until a declara- 
tion has been made in the following game, or, 
if it be the final game of the rubber, until the 
score has been made up and agreed upon. 

CUTTING 

14. In cutting, the ace is the lowest card ; 
as between cards of otherwise equal value, the 
lowest is the heart, next the diamond, next the 
club, and highest the spade. 

15. Every player must cut from the same 
pack. 

16. Should a player expose more than one 
card the highest is his cut. 

FORMING TABLES 

17. The prior right of playing is with those 
first in the room. If there are more than four 
candidates, the privilege of playing is decided 
by cutting. The four who cut the lowest 
cards play first. 

18. After the table is formed the players 
cut to decide upon partners, the lower two 
playing against the higher two. The lowest 
is the dealer, who has choice of cards and 
seats, and who, having made his selection, 
must abide by it. 



THE LAWS OF AUCTION BRIDGE 23 



19. Six players constitute a complete table. 

20. The right to succeed any player who 
may retire is acquired by announcing the de- 
sire to do so, and such announcement shall 
constitute a prior right to the first vacancy. 

CUTTING OUT 

21. If, at the end of a rubber, admission 
be claimed by one or two candidates, the 
player or players having played the greatest 
number of consecutive rubbers shall withdraw ; 
but when all have played the same number, 
they must cut to decide upon the outgoers ; 
the highest are out.^ 

RIGHTS OF ENTRY 

22. A candidate desiring to enter a table 
must declare such wish before any player at 
the table cuts a card, for the purpose either 
of beginning a new rubber or of cutting out. 

23. In the formation of new tables those 
candidates who have not played at any other 
table have the prior right of entry. Those 
who have already played decide their right to 
admission by cutting. 

24. When one or more players belonging 

1 See Law 14 as to value of cards in cutting. 



24 THE LAWS OF AUCTION BRIDGE 



to another table aid in making up a new one, 
the new players at such tables shall be the first 
to go out. 

25. A player who cuts into one table while 
belonging to another shall forfeit his prior 
right of re-entry into the latter, unless he has 
helped to form a new table. In this event he 
may signify his intention of returning to his 
original table when his place at the new one 
can be filled. 

26. Should any player quit the table dur- 
ing the progress of a rubber, he may, with the 
consent of the three others appoint a substi- 
tute to play during his absence ; but such ap- 
pointment shall becom.e void with the conclu- 
sion of the rubber, and shall not in any way 
afifect the substitute's rights. 

27. If any one break up a table, the re- 
maining players have a prior right at other 
tables. 

SHUFFLING 

28. The pack must not be shuffled below 
the table nor so that the face of any card be 
seen. 

29. The dealer's partner must collect the 
cards from the preceding deal and has the 
first right to shuffle the cards. Each player 
has the right to shuffle subsequent^. The 



THE LAWS OF AUCTION BRIDGE 2$ 



dealer has the right to shuffle last ; but should 
a card or cards be seen during the shuffling, 
or while giving the pack to be cut, he must re- 
shuffle. 

30. After shuffling, the cards, properly col- 
lected, must be placed face downward to the 
left of the next dealer. 

THE DEAL 

31. Each player deals in his turn; the 
order of dealing is to the left, 

32. The player on the dealer's right cuts 
the pack, and in dividing it he must leave not 
fewer than four cards in each packet ; if in 
cutting or in replacing one of the two packets 
a card be exposed, or if there be any con- 
fusion or a doubt as to the exact place in 
which the pack was divided, there must be a 
fresh cut. 

33. When the player whose duty it is to 
cut has once separated the pack, he can neither 
re-shuffle nor re-cut, except as provided in 
Law 32. 

34. Should the dealer shuffle the cards 
after the cut, the pack must be cut again. 

35. The fifty-two cards shall be dealt face 
downward. The deal is not completed until 
the last card has been dealt. 



26 THE LAWS OF AUCTION BRIDGE 



36. There is no penalty for a misdeal. 
The cards must be dealt again. 

A NEW DEAL 

37. There must be a new deal — 

a If the cards be not dealt into four packets, 
one at a time and in regular rotation, 
beginning at the deoler's left. 

b If, during a deal, or during the play, the 
pack be proved incorrect or imperfect, 

c If any card be faced in the pack. 

d If any player have dealt to him a greater 
number of cards than thirteen, whether 
discovered before or during the play. 

e If the dealer deal two cards at once and 
then deal a third before correcting the 
error. 

/ If the dealer omit to have the pack cut and 
either adversary calls attention to the 
fact prior to the completion of the deal 
and before either adversary has looked 
at any of his cards. 

g If the last card does not come in its regu- 
lar order to the dealer. 

38. There may be a new deal — 

a If the dealer or his partner expose a card 
before the deal has been completed. 
Either adversary may claim a new deal. 

b If either adversary expose a card before 
the deal has been completed. The dealer 
or his partner may claim a new deal. 



THE LAWS OF AUCTION BRIDGE 27 



c If, before fifty-one cards are dealt, the 
dealer should look at any card, his ad- 
versaries have the right to see it and 
either may exact a new deal. 

d If, in dealing, one of the last cards be ex- 
posed by the dealer or his partner, and 
the deal be completed before there is 
reasonable time for either adversary to 
decide as to a new deal. In all other 
cases such penalties must be claimed 
prior to the completion of the deal. 

39. The claim for a new deal by reason of 
a card exposed during the deal may not be 
made by a player who has looked at any of 
his cards. If the deal stands, a card so ex- 
posed cannot be called. 

40. Should three players have their right 
number of cards, the fourth less than thir- 
teen, and not discover such deficiency until he 
has played, the deal stands ; he, not being 
dummy, is answerable for any established re- 
voke he may have made as if the missing card 
or cards had been in his hand. Any player 
may search the other pack for it or them. 

41. If, during the play, a pack be proved 
incorrect or imperfect, such proof renders the 
current deal void but does not af¥ect any prior 
score. (See Law 37 b.) If during or at the 
conclusion of the play one player be found 



28 THE LAWS OF AUCTION BRIDGE 



to hold more than the proper number of cards 
and another have an equal number less, the 
hand is void. 

42. A player dealing out of turn or with 
the adversaries' cards may be corrected be- 
fore the last card is dealt, otherwise the deal 
must stand, and the game proceed as if the 
deal had been correct. 

43. A player can neither cut, shuffle nor 
deal for his partner without the permission 
of his adversaries. 

DECLARING TRUMPS 

44. The trump is declared. The dealer, 
having examined his hand, must declare to 
win at least one odd trick, either with a named 
trump suit, or at no-trumps." 

45. After the dealer has made his declara- 
tion, each player in turn, beginning with the 
player on the dealer's left, has the right to 
pass, to double or re-double the previous 
declaration, or to over-call the previous decla- 
ration by making a bid of higher value. 

46. A call of a greater number of tricks 
in a suit of lower value, which equals the 
previous call in value of points, shall be con- 
sidered a call of higher value. For example : 



THE LAWS OF AUCTION BRIDGE 29 



A call of two tricks in spades is better than a 
call of one trick in clubs ; two in diamonds 
over-calls one in no-trumps. 

47. A player may overbid the previous call 
any number of times, and may also overbid 
his partner; but he cannot raise his own call 
unless it is over-called by another player in the 
interval. 

48. The play of the two combined hands 
shall rest with the partners who make the 
final call. When two partners have both 
mad^e calls in the same suit, the one who first 
named that suit shall play the hand, his part- 
ner becoming Dummy. 

49. When the player of the combined 
hands, hereafter termed the Declarer, wins the 
number of tricks which were declared, or a 
greater number, he scores toward game the 
full value of the tricks won. (See Laws 2 
and 4.) When he fails, his adversaries score, 
in the honor column, fifty points for each 
under-trick; that is, each trick short of the 
number declared. If the declaration has been 
doubled, 100 points; or 200 if re-doubled, for 
each such under-trick. Neither the declarer 
nor his adversaries score anything toward 
g-ame when the declaration fails. 

50. The loss on the declaration of " one in 



30 THE LAWS OF AUCTION BRIDGE 



spades," shall be limited to lOO points for 
under-tricks, whether doubled or not. 

51. If a player makes a trump declaration 
out of turn, the adversary on his left may de- 
mand a new deal, or may allow the declara- 
tion so made to stand, the bidding continuing 
if the declaration had been in order. 

52. If a player, in bidding, fails to call a 
sufficient number of tricks to oViCrbid the 
previous declaration, he shall be considered 
to have declared the requisite number of tricks 
in the suit which he has named, and his part- 
ner shall be djCbarred from making any further 
declaration, unless either of the adversaries 
over-call, or double. 

53. After the final declaration has been 
accepted, a player is not allowed to give his 
partner any information as to a previous call, 
whether made by himself or by either adver- 
sary; but a player is entitled to be informed 
at any time during the play of the hand, what 
the value of the final declaration was. 

DOUBLING AND REDOUBLING 

54. Doubling and re-doubling affect the 
score only, and not the value in declaring. 
For example: Two in diamonds will still 



THE LAWS OF AUCTION BRIDGE 3 1 



over-call one in no-trumps, even if the no- 
trump declaration has been doubled. 

55. Any declaration can be doubled, and 
once re-doubled, but not more. A player can- 
not double his partner's call, nor re-double 
his partner's double; but he may re-double a 
call of his partner's which has been doubled 
by an adversary. 

56. The act of doubling re-opens the bid- 
ding. When a declaration has been doubled, 
any player, including the declarer or his part- 
ner, can make a further declaration of higher 
value in his proper turn. 

57. When a player whose declaration has 
been doubled fulfills his contract by winning 
the declared number of tricks, he scores a 
bonus of fifty points in the honor column, and 
for every additional trick that he may make, 
he scores a further fifty points. If he or his 
partner have re-doubled, this bonus is doubled. 

58. If a player doubles out of turn, the 
adversary on his left may demand a new deal. 

59. When all the players have expressed 
themselves as satisfied, the play shall begin, 
and the player on the left of the declarer shall 
lead for the first trick, no matter who dealt. 

60. A declaration once made cannot be 



32 THE LAWS OF AUCTION BRIDGE 



altered, unless it is over-called or doubled by 
another player. 

DUMMY 

61. As soon as a card is led, whether in or 
out of turn, the declarer's partner shall place 
his cards face upward on the table, and the 
duty of playing that hand, which shall be 
known as dummy's, and of claiming and en- 
forcing any penalties arising during the play, 
shall devolve upon the declarer, unassisted by 
his partner. 

62. Before placing his cards upon the table 
the declarer's partner has all the rights of a 
player, but after so doing takes no part what- 
ever in the play, except that he has the right : 

a To ask the declarer whether he has any 
of a suit which he may have renounced ; 

h To call the declarer's attention to the fact 
that too many or too few cards have been 
played to a trick; 

c To correct the claim of either adversary to 
a penalty to which the latter is not en- 
titled ; 

d To call attention to the fact that a trick 
has been erroneously taken by either 
side ; 

e To participate in the discussion of any dis- 
puted question of fact after it has arisen 



THE LAWS OF AUCTION BRIDGE 33 



between the declarer and either adver- 
sary; 

/ To correct an erroneous score. 

63. Should the declarer's partner call at- 
tention to any other incident of the play in 
consequence of which any penalty might have 
been exacted, the declarer is precluded from 
exacting such penalty. 

64. If the declarer's partner, by touching a 
card or otherwise, suggest the play of a card 
from dummy, either adversary may, without 
consultation, call upon the declarer to play 
or not to play the card suggested. 

65. Dummy is not liable to the penalty for 
a revoke ; if he should revoke and the error be 
not discovered until the trick is turned and 
quitted, the trick must stand. 

66. A card from the declarer's own hand 
is not played until actually quitted ; but should 
he name or touch a card in the dummy, such 
card is considered as played unless he, in 
touching the card, say, " I arrange," or words 
to that effect. If he simultaneously touch 
two or more cards, he may .elect which one to 
play. 

CARDS EXPOSED BEFORE PLAY 

67. If, after the cards have been dealt, and 
before the trump declaration has been finally 



34 THE LAWS OF AUCTION BRIDGE 



determined, any player exposes a card from 
his hand, the adversary on his left may de- 
mand a new deal. If the deal is allowed to 
stand, the exposed card may be taken up, and 
cannot be called. 

68. If, after the final declaration has been 
accepted, and before a card is led, the partner 
of the player who should lead to the first trick 
exposes a card from his hand, the declarer 
may, instead of calling this card, require the 
leader not to lead the suit of the exposed card. 

CARDS EXPOSED DURING PLAY 

69. All cards exposed after the original 
lead by the declarer's adversaries are liable to 
be called, and such cards must be left face 
upward on the table. 

70. The following are exposed cards: 

1st. Two or more cards played at once. 

2d. Any card dropped with its face upward 
on the table, even though snatched up 
so quickly that it cannot be named. 

3d. Any card so held by a player that his 
partner sees any portion of its face. 

4th. Any card mentioned by either adver- 
sary as being held by him or his part- 
ner. 

71. A card dropped on the floor or else- 



THE LAWS OF AUCTION BRIDGE 35 



where below the table or so held that an ad- 
versary but not the partner sees it, is not an 
exposed card. 

72. If two or more cards be played at once 
by either of the declarer's adversaries, the de- 
clarer shall have th-e right to call any one of 
such cards to the current trick, and the other 
card or cards are exposed. 

73. If, without waiting for his partner to 
play, either of the declarer's adversaries should 
play on the table the best card or lead one 
which is a winning card, as against the de- 
clarer and dummy, and continue (without 
waiting for his partner to play) to lead sev- 
eral such cards, the declarer may demand that 
the partner of the player in fault win, if he 
can, the first or any other of these tricks, and 
the other cards thus improperly played are 
exposed cards. 

74. If either or both of the declarer's ad- 
versaries throw his or their cards on the table 
face upward, such cards are exposed and are 
liable to be called; but if either adversary re- 
tain his hand he cannot be forced to abandon 
it. Cards exposed by the declarer are not 
liable to be called. If the declarer should say, 
" I have the rest," or any other words indi- 
cating that the remaining tricks or any num~ 



2,6 THE LAWS OF AUCTION BRIDGE 



ber thereof are his, he may be required to place 
his cards face upward on the table. His ad- 
versaries are not liable to have any of their 
cards called should they thereupon expose 
them. 

75. If a player who has rendered himself 
liable to have the highest or lowest of a suit 
called (Laws, 82, 89 and 97) fail to play as 
directed, or if , when called on to lead one suit, 
he lead another, having in his hand one or 
more cards of the suit demanded (Laws 76 
and 98), or if, called upon to win or lose 
a trick, he fail to do so when he can (Laws 73, 
82 and 97) he is liable to the penalty for re- 
voke, unless such play be corrected before the 
trick is turned and quitted. • 

LEADS OUT OF TURN 

76. If either of the declarer's adversaries 
lead out of turn, the declarer may either treat 
the card so led as an exposed card or may call 
a suit as soon as it is the turn of either ad- 
versary to lead. 

77. If the declarer lead out of turn, either 
from his own hand or from dummy, he incurs 
no penally ; but he may not rectify the error 
after the second hand has played. 

78. If any player lead out of turn and the 



THE LAWS OF AUCTION BRIDGE 37 



three others follow, the trick is complete and 
the error cannot be rectified ; but if only the 
second, or second and third play to the false 
lead, their cards may be taken back; there is 
no penalty against any except the original of- 
fender, who, if he be one of the declarer's 
adversaries, may be penalized as provided in 
Law 76. 

79. A player cannot be compelled to play 
a card which would oblige him to revoke. 

80. The call of an exposed card may be 
repeated until such card has been played. 

81. If a player called on to lead a suit have 
none of it, the penalty is paid. 

CARDS PLAYED IN ERROR 

82. Should the fourth hand, not being 
dummy or declarer, play before the second, 
the latter may be called upon to play his high- 
est or lowest card of the suit played, or to win 
or lose the trick. 

83. If any one, not being dummy, omit 
playing to a trick and such error be not cor- 
rected until he has played to the next, the ad- 
versaries, or either of them, may claim a new 
deal; should they decide that the deal is to 
stand, the surplus card at the end of the hand 
is considered to have been played to the im- 



38 THE LAWS OF AUCTION BRIDGE 



perfect trick, but does not constitute a revoke 
therein. 

84. If any one play two or more cards to 
thiC same trick and the mistake be not cor- 
rected, he is answerable for any consequent 
revokes he may have made. This rule does 
not apply to dummy. If during the play the 
error be detected, the tricks may be counted 
face downward, to see if any contains more 
than four cards ; should this be the case, the 
trick which contains a surplus card or cards 
may be ,examined and the card or cards re- 
stored to the original holder, who (not being 
dummy) shall be liable for any revoke he may 
meanwhile have made. 

THE REVOKE 

85. A revoke occurs when a player, other 
than dummy, holding one or more cards of the 
suit led, plays a card of a different suit. It 
becomes an established revoke if the trick in 
which it occurs be turned and quitted (i. e., 
the hand removed from the trick after it has 
been turned face downward on the table) ; 
or if either the revoking player or his partner, 
whether in turn or otherwise, lead or play to 
the following trick. 



THE LAWS OF AUCTION BRIDGE 39 



86. The penalty for an established revoke 
shall be: 

a. When the declarer revokes, his adver- 
saries add 150 points to their honor score. 
This penalty is not affected by the declara- 
tion's having been doubled; but it is in addi- 
tion to any liability which the revoking player 
may have incurred through his failure to ful- 
fill his contract. 

b. When either of the adversaries revoke, 
the declarer may either add 150 points to his 
honor score, or he may take three tricks from 
his opponents and add them to his own. 
Tricks taken as penalty for a revoke may as- 
sist the declarer in fulfilling his contract, but 
they shall not entitle him to score any bonus 
in honors in case the declaration has been 
doubled or re-doubled. 

87. Under no circumstances can the part- 
ners score anything, exqept for honors in 
trumps or no-trumps or for chicane, on a 
hand in which either of them has revoked. 

88. A player may ask his partner if he 
has a card of the suit which he has renounced ; 
should the question be asked before the trick 
is turned and quitted, subsequent turning and 
quitting does not establish a revoke, and the 
error may be corrected unless the question be 



40 THE LAWS OF AUCTION BRIDGE 



answered in the negative, or unless the revok- 
ing player or his partner have led or played 
to the following trick. 

89. If a player correct his mistake in time 
to save a revoke, any player or players who 
have followed him may withdraw their cards 
and substitute others, and the cards so with- 
drawn are not exposed. If the player in fault 
b,e one of the declarer's adversaries, the card 
played in error is exposed and the declarer 
may call it whenever he pleases ; or he may re- 
quire the of¥ender to play his highest or low- 
,est card of the suit to the trick, but this pen- 
alty cannot be exacted from the declarer. 

90. At the end of a hand the claimants of 
a revoke may search all the tricks. If the 
cards have been mixed, the claim may be 
urged and proved if possible ; but no proof is 
necessary, and the claim is established if, after 
it has been made, the accused player or his 
partner mix the cards before they have been 
sufficiently examined by the adversaries. 

91. A revoke must be claimed before the 
cards have been cut for the following deal. 

92. Should the players on both sides sub- 
ject themselves to the revoke penalty, each is 
punished at the discretion of the adversary ; 
but the declarer cannot, whatever may have 



THE LAWS OF AUCTION BRIDGE 4I 



been his previous score, add anything to his 
trick score in a hand in which he has revoked. 

93. The penalty for a revoke may be 
claimed for as many revokes as occur during 
a hand; but in no event can the total penalty 
exceed the value of seven by cards. (See 
Laws 7 and 8.) 

GENERAL RULES 

94. There must not be any consultation 
between partners as to the enforcement of 
penalties. If they do so consult, the penalty 
is paid. 

95. Once a trick is complete, turned and 
■quitted, it must not be looked at (except under 
Law 84) until the end of the hand. 

96. Any player during the play of a trick 
or after the four cards are played, and before 
they are touched for the purpose of gathering 
them together, may demand that the cards be 
placed before their respective players. 

97. If either of the declarer's adversaries, 
prior to his partner playing, call attention to 
the trick, either by saying it is his, or without 
being requested so to do, by naming his card 
or drawing it towards him, the declarer may 
require such partner to play his highest or 



42 THE LAWS OF AUCTION BRIDGE 



lowest card of the suit led, or to win or lose 
the trick. 

98. Either of the declarer's adversaries 
may call his partner's attention to the fact that 
he is about to play or lead out of turn ; but if, 
during the play of a hand, he make any un- 
authorized reference to any incident of the 
play, the declarer may call a suit from the 
adversary whose turn it is next to lead. 

99. In all cases where a penalty has been 
incurred the offender is bound to give reason- 
able time for the decision of his adversaries ; 
but if a wrong penalty be demanded none can 
be enforced. 

ICQ. Where the declarer or his partner has 
incurred a penalty, one of his adversaries may 
say, " Partner, will you exact the penalty or 
shall I ? " but whether this is said or not, if 
either adversary name the penalty, his de- 
cision is final. 

NEW CARDS 

loi. Unless a pack be imperfect, no player 
shall have the right to call for one new pack. 
If fresh cards are demanded, two packs must 
be furnished. If they are produced during a 
rubber, the adversaries shall have the choice of 
the new cards. If it is the beginning of a new 
rubber, the declarer, whether he or one of his 



THE LAWS OF AUCTION BRIDGE 43 



adversaries be the party calling for the new 
cards, shall have the choice. New cards must 
be called for before the pack be cut for a new 
deal. 

102. A card or cards torn or marked must 
be replaced by agreement or new cards fur- 
nished. 

BYSTANDERS 

103, While a bystander, by agreement 
among the players, may decide any question, 
he must on no account say anything unless 
appealed to ; and if he make any remark which 
calls attention to an oversight affecting the 
score, or to the exaction of a penalty, he is 
liable to be called upon by the players to pay 
the stakes (not extras) lost. 



DESCRIPTION OF THE GAME 



DESCRIPTION OF THE GAME 



Auction Bridge is played with two packs o£ 
fifty-two cards each, one of which is shuffled 
while the other is dealt. The pack not in 
play is called the still pack. The cards rank 
from the ace, king, queen, down to the deuce, 
in playing ; but in cutting the king is the high- 
est card, the ace ranking below the deuce. 

The game is played by four persons, pairing 
two against two as partners. If there are 
more than four candidates for play, those who 
shall play the first rubber are decided by cut- 
ting. 

The four players cut for partners, the two 
lowest pairing against the two highest, the 
lowest cut of all having the choice of seats and 
cards, and dealing the first hand. If two cut 
cards of equal value and they are the two high- 
,est, it does not matter. If they are the two 
lowest, they must cut again for the deal, low 
winning. If they are intermediates, they 
must cut again to decide which shall play with 
the original low, who cannot be deprived of 
his right to the first deal, as cuts to decide ties 
47 



48 



AUCTION BRIDGE 



decide nothing but ties. If three cut cards 
of equal value, they all three cut again. If 
the fourth cut was higher than the ties, the 
two lowest of the new cut are partners. If 
the fourth was lower than the ties, he deals, 
and tl^e two highest of the new cut are part- 
ners. 

The deal passes in regular rotation to the 
left, and the position of the deal is marked by 
the still pack, which is gathered and shuffled 
by the dealer's partner and placed on his right 
hand, so that it shall be on the left of the 
player whose turn it will be to deal next. 

The dealer presents the pack to the player on 
his right (who is called the " pone ") to be 
cut, and at least four cards must be left in each 
packet. The whole fifty-two cards are then 
distributed one at a time, face down and in 
rotation, beginning on the dealer's left, so that 
each player shall receive thirteen. 

No trump is turned. 

All irregularities in the manner of cutting, 
shuffling and dealing will be found fully dealt 
with in the Laws of the game. 

The object of the game is to win tricks 
which have a certain counting value, and also 
to secure certain scores for holding honors 
in the trump suit. The first six tricks taken 



AUCTION BRIDGE 



49 



by one side do not count ; but all over the first 
six, which are called " the book," count 
towards game according to the value of the 
suit which has been declared as the trump for 
that hand. These suit values are as follov/s 
for each trick over the book: 

When Spades are trumps. ...... 2 points. 

" Clubs are trumps .4 " 

" Diamonds are trumps.... 6 " 

" Hearts are trumps 8 

" there are No Trumps.... 12 " 

As soon as either side reaches or passes 
thirty points, made by trick scores alone, it is 
a game. No matter how much more than 
thirty points they make on the hand which 
puts them game, it is all scored; but it is only 
counted as one game. If the partners were 
24 up on the score, and made five by cards at 
no-trump, worth 60, their total would be 84, 
but it would be only one game. 

As soon as two games are won by the same 
partners, that ends the rubber. If they are 
the two first games, the third is not played. 
The winners of the rubber add 250 points to 
their score as bonus. 

The object of each player is to get a suit 
declared for the trump with which he thinks 



50 



AUCTION BRIDGE 



he can material^ advance his score towards 
gam,e, or he may want to play without a 
trump. But in addition to the points won in 
tricks there are certain additional scores for 
honors, and for winning twelve tricks, called 
Little Slam, or all thirteen tricks, called Grand 
Slam, and also for the misfortune of not hav- 
ing a single trump dealt you, which is called 
Chicane. All these are called " honor scores," 
and although they do not count anything 
towards winning the game, they materially 
add to the value of the rubber, as they are all 
added in at the end. 

The honors in the trump suit are the ace, 
king, queen, jack, ten. When there are no 
trumps, the four aces are the only honors. 
The following table shows the value of these 
honors, according to their distribution: 

It is not necessary to memorize these values 
before one can play, as they will be found on 
all the score-pads used for keeping the game. 

After the cards are all dealt, each player 
picks up and sorts his hand. The dealer is 
obliged to make the first declaration as to 
what he would like to have for the trump suit, 
and his declaration must be an offer to make 
at least the odd trick with a named suit for 
trumps, or at no-trumps. The dealer may 



AUCTION BRIDGE 



51 



name any suit he likes and any number of 
tricks he thinks he can make over the book, 
but he must bid something'. He is the only 
player that cannot pass without bidding, and 
his declaration should be either a statement of 



TABLE OF HONOR VALUES. 



If the Trump Suit is — 


_ 








Three Honors count 




4 


8 


12 


16 






8 


16 


24 


32 


Five Honors count 




10 


20 


30 


40 


Four Honors in one hand count. . . . 




16 


32 


48 


64 


Four Honors in one hand, fifth in 




18 


36 


54 


72 


I 


Partner's hand, count 








20 


40 


60 


80 



When there are No Trumps- 



Three Aces between Partners count. 
Four Aces between Partners count. . . 
Four Aces in one hand count 



30 
40 
100 



Chicane counts the same as Three Honors. 
Little Slam counts 20. I Grand Slam counts 40. 



his intention with regard to the trump he 
would prefer, or it should be an intimation to 
his partner as to the general character of his 
hand. 

With a very poor hand, the dealer would bid 



52 



AUCTION BRIDGE 



nothing higher than the odd trick in spades ; 
because that is the cheapest way out of his 
difficulty, and warns his partner of his weak- 
ness at the same time. But if he is strong 
enough in spades to be reasonably sure of 
the odd trick, with average assistance from his 
partner, he would bid two in spades, instead 
of the odd trick only. This gives the partner 
some intimation of the strength of the suit, 
although it is of little value as a trump. 

With good cards in the red suits, he would 
name them at once, because such hands are 
valuable. As we shall see when we come to 
the tactics of the game, it is a mistake to un- 
derbid the hand, intending to name a better 
suit when someone else has bid, as the ad- 
versaries may leave you with your first bid, 
so as to prevent you from making a good 
score. The number of tricks that the dealer 
should oflfer in a red suit, or at no-trump, 
must also be left until we come to the chapter 
devoted to that part of the subject. 

The dealer having made a declaration of 
some sort, the player on his left must either 
pass, or make a better declaration, or 
" double." As no one but the dealer is obliged 
to make a declaration, passing may either 



AUCTION BRIDGE 



53 



mean that the player is satisfied with the trump 
named, or that he can do nothing better. 
Passing once does not prevent him from com- 
ing into the bidding later if some other player 
overbids the dealer. Doubling m,eans that 
the doubler believes the bidder will fail in his 
undertaking. 

Whatever the player on the dealer's left 
may do, the next player to his left again has 
the same chance in his turn to pass or to bid 
higher. Being the dealer's partner, he can- 
not double the dealer's bid ; because no player 
is allowed to double his partner. If the trump 
named by his partner suits him, the best thing 
is to bid a greater number of tricks in the 
same suit. Suppose the dealer declared to 
make the odd in diamonds, and the next player 
passed. The dealer's partner could bid two or 
three tricks in diamonds, or he could change 
the suit ; but he could not double. 

The fourth player then has the same chance 
to bid higher, to pass, or to double the adver- 
saries' declaration. 

If a declaration, no matter by whom made, 
is not overbid by a better one, or the number 
of tricks is not increased by the partner, 
that declaration is final ; because no player can 



54 



AUCTION BRIDGE 



change his own bid in any way unless he has 
been overbid or doubled by another player in 
the meantime. 

There is no limit to the number of times that 
a player may bid if he is overbid ; but each 
succeeding bid must be higher than the last. 
Whenever the point value is equal, the one 
who offers to take the greater number of 
tricks to reach those points is the higher bid- 
der. If the point value is not equal, the higher 
point value is the higher bid, regardless of the 
suit or of the number of tricks. 

Suppose the dealer bids the odd in diamonds, 
to make the odd in diamonds, and that the next 
player says two in clubs. Although the club 
suit is lower in rank than the diamond, two 
tricks in clubs are worth eight, as against the 
six which the odd in diamonds is worth. 
Suppose the dealer's partner now offers one 
in no-trumps, worth twelve, and the fourth 
hand bids three in clubs. Although three in 
clubs are worth no more than one at no- 
trumps, the bid outranks it in trick-taking. 

If a player doubles, only one re-double is 
allowed. Although one cannot double one's 
partner's bid, one can re-double the adver- 
sary's double. Doubling is overbidding only 
in the sense that it opens the way for further 



AUCTION BRIDGE 55 



bidding". After a double or re-double, any 
player can make a bid which is higher than 
the bid which has just been doubled, the 
doubling itself being- disreg'arded ; because 
doubling does not affect the rank of the bids. 

Suppose the dealer bids the odd in diamonds, 
doubled by the player on his left. The double 
opens the way for any player, including the 
dealer, to overbid the odd in diamonds. Sup- 
pose the dealer's partner offers to make the 
odd in hearts. This outbids the double ; be- 
cause, for the purpose of biddini^, the doubled 
odd in diamonds is still worth six points only ; 
the effects of doubling, as far as points are 
concerned, being restricted entirely to the 
score, as will be explained presently. 

Even if a double is re-doubled, the increased 
value of the tricks is disregarded in any fur- 
ther bidding. If the dealer bids one in hearts 
and the next player doubles, the dealer's part- 
ner re-doubling, the fourth player can bid two 
in clubs, worth eight only ; because it outbids 
the original odd in hearts. 

The bidding is sometimes done with the 
full knowledge that it cannot succeed, the ob- 
ject being to keep the game in. This will be 
more fully explained when we come to the 
chapter on tactics. As it is only the success- 



56 



AUCTION BRIDGE 



fill bidder's side that can score anything 
towards game, no matter how man}^ tricks are 
won and lost, it is very important not to let 
players make a declaration that will put them 
out, especially on the rubber game ; because 
anything is better as a chance than a rubber 
that is surely lost. 

Suppose that AB are 24 up, and YZ are 22 
up. If AB bid the odd in diamonds, and m^ake 
it, they win the game and rubber. YZ have 
nothing in their cards, and are sure to lose 
on any declaration they make, yet they must 
outbid AB, so as to keep the game in, on the 
chance that YZ may get better cards next deal. 
Therefore YZ will bid the odd in hearts, or at 
no-trumps, or two by cards, or anything which 
will take the declaration away from AB, or 
else compel AB to overbid their hands. 

The bidding finally settled, the player who 
first made the winning declaration, trump or 
no-trump, 'becomes what is called the Declarer, 
or living player ; his partner being the Dummy^ 
or Mort, the dead player. No matter who 
dealt the cards, the declarer plays his own 
hand, held up, combined with, his partner's 
hand, which is laid on the table, face up, and 
is known as Dummy. 



AUCTION BRIDGE 



57 



It should be observed that it is not neces- 
sarily the highest bidder that becomes de- 
clarer. Suppose the dealer bids the odd at 
no-trumps ; second man bids two in hearts, 
and the dealer's partner outbids that by de- 
claring three at no-trumps, which is the high- 
est bid made: it is the dealer, and not his 
partner, that becomes declarer ; because it was 
the dealer that first named the winning' decla- 
ration, no-trumps. 

For the same reason, if a player is com- 
pelled to bid up to three in hearts and is then 
doubled, no one going higher, the one who is 
doubled becomes declarer, not the player who 
doubled him; because it is the one who is 
doubled that first named the winning declara- 
tion, hearts. 

When a player doubles, it does not mean 
that he will make the odd trick, but that the 
declaring side will not make as many tricks 
as it has undertaken to make. Suppose the 
dealer has bid three by cards in hearts and is 
doubled. This means that the adversary who 
doubles him thinks he may make the odd 
trick, or even two by cards ; but he does not 
believe that he can make three tricks. In 
other words, doubling means that the declara- 



58 



AUCTION BRIDGE 



tion will fail. Re-doubling means that the 
doubler is mistaken. 

If the declarer succeeds, after being 
doubled, he scores his tricks at double value: 
12 for diamonds, i6 for hearts, and so on, as 
the case may be; but he does not double the 
value of the honors. In addition to this, he 
scores 50 points penalty above the line. If 
he gets more than he declared to make, he 
gets an additional 50 points for each trick. 
Suppose he bid two in hearts and was doubled. 
If he gets two by cards, he gets 32 below and 
50 above. If he gets three by cards, he scores 
48 below and 100 above. These penalty points 
never count towards game, but always go with 
the honors. 

If the declarer fails, not being doubled, he 
scores nothing for tricks, no matter how many 
he makes ; but his adversaries score 50 points 
in the honor column for each trick by which 
the declaration falls short. If they have 
doubled they score double fifty, or a hundred. 
Suppose the declaration is four in hearts, 
doubled, and that the declarer gets two by 
cards only. He scores nothing for those two 
tricks ; but his adversaries score 200 above the 
line for doubling. Had they not doubled they 



AUCTION BRIDGE 



59 



would have scored icq only, which is 50 each 
for the two tricks that the declarer fell short. 

Honors are claimed and scored as held, 
whether the declaration succeeds or not. 

If the declarer does not even make the odd 
trick, his adversaries still score nothing below 
the line. All they get is the 50 points a trick 
penalty. Suppose the bid is two in no-trumps, 
and the adversaries win two by cards, leaving 
the bidder five tricks only when he declared 
to win eight. The bidder scores nothing for 
tricks, but his adversaries score 150 in honors 
for penalty. 

When everyone at the table is content, and 
will bid no higher, the player to the left of the 
declarer leads any card he pleases for the first 
trick, and then the Dummy's cards are laid 
down, sorted into suits, the trumps to the 
right. From that point on, declarer manages 
the two hands, playing whatever card he 
thinks best from Dummy, after comparing 
Dummy's cards with his own. The player 
who held Dummy's cards has nothing further 
to do with the game for that deal, not being 
allowed to make any remarks or suggestions 
about the play. 



6o 



AUCTION BRIDGE 



Dummy may ask his partner if he has none 
of a suit to which he renounces, so as to save 
a revoke, the usual formula being, " No 
spades. Partner? " Dummy may also protest 
against the adversaries' enforcing a penalty to 
which they are not entitled, and may call at- 
tention to a trick which is not complete. 
Apart from this, he is supposed to be blind 
and deaf. 

Each player in turn must follow suit if he 
can, and the highest card played, if of the suit 
led, wins the trick, trumps winning all other 
suits. The winner of one trick leads for the 
next, and so on, until all thirteen tricks have 
been taken in. 

Declarer gathers the tricks for his side, 
keeping them separate, so that they may be 
readily counted. Either adversary may gather 
for himself and his partner ; but all their tricks 
must be kept on the same side of the table. 
As soon as one side wins six tricks, it is usual 
to bunch them together, forming a book,'* 
so that all the tricks over the book may be 
the more easily counted. 

At the end of the hand, the honors are 
claimed, and the scores are then put down on 
a score-pad printed for the purpose. The 



AUCTION BRIDGE 



6i 



score sheet has two parallel columns, one for 
each side, the side keeping" the score being 
" we/' and the opponents " they/' All trick 
scores are entered below the line," and all 
honor scores and penalties " above the line," 
as shown in the appended example. 

If the declaration succeeds, the trick points 
are entered to the credit of that side. If the 
declaration has been doubled, every trick ovei^ 
the book is double value, but there is no in- 
crease in the value of the honors. The de- 
claring side may win the tricks while their 
adversaries hold the honors, in which case 
the tricks are scored to one side, the honors 
to the other. 

If th% declaration fails, nothing can be en- 
tered below the line for either side. The 
declaring side scores honors if it holds them, 
and their adversaries score fifty points a trick 
penalty above the line for every trick by which 
the bidders failed; a hundred points a trick 
if they have doubled. 

In order that the reader may have a clear 
idea of how the scores are kept, an example 
is given in the margin. It is a very short 
game, but sufficient for the purpose of illus- 
tration. 



62 



AUCTION BRIDGE 



WE 


THEY 




250 


— 


48 


50 


20 


200 


32 


30 


16 








36 


304 


+442 




—304 




138 



FWst Deal. — We bid two in 
no-trnmps and held three aces ; 
24 below the line and 30 above. 

Second Deal. — They bid 
three in hearts, were doubled, 
and made the odd trick only, 
holding simple honors. Noth- 
ing scored below the line on 
either side, because the bidder 
failed; but they got 16 for 
honors, and we got 200 above 
the line ; 50 points penalty for 
each of the two tricks by which 
the bidder failed, doubled. 

Third Deal. — They bid 
three in hearts, made five by 
cards and four honors ; 40 be- 
low the line and 32 above. 
This wins the first game, and 
a line is drawn under it. 



Fourth Deal. — They bid three at no-trumps, and 
made two by cards only; aces easy, each side hav- 
ing two. Nothing to score but the 50 points penalty 
for we, because the bid failed by one trick. 

Fifth Deal. — They bid four in diamonds, made 
a Little Slam, and had four honors in one hand ; 
36 below the line, winning the second game, 20 
above the line for the Little Slam, and 48 for 
honors. 



As THEY have won two games, that ends 
the rubber, and they add 250 points bonus. 



AUCTION BRIDGE 



63 



The scores of each side are now added up, 
the lesser total deducted from the greater, and 
the difference, which is 138 points, is the value 
of the rubber. 

The result of the rubber is usually trans- 
ferred to a wash-book, or flogger, upon which 
its value in points or in cash is set down oppo- 
site the names of the winners and losers as 
minus or plus. These entries can be carried 
on until the party breaks up, the top of each 
column being used to show the value of the 
rubber, which is added to or deducted from 
the previous scores of each player. The fol- 
lowing is a sample of a wash-book for a table 
at which six players were engaged : 



Values:— 


- 140 


325 


280 


360 


Jones. . . 


-hl40 


+465 


+465 


+825 


Green. . 


+ 140 


+ 140 


—140 


—500 


White.. 


—140 


+ 185 


+ 185 


—175 


Brown.. 


—140 


—140 


+ 140 


+500 


Black . . 




—325 


— 45 


— 45 


Smith . . 




—325 


—605 


—605 



This wash-book can be checked at any time 
by seeing that the plus and minus scores bal- 
ance. In the second rubber, Jones and White 
heat Black and Smith. In the third, Brown 



64 



AUCTION BRIDGE 



and Black beat Green and Smith. In tfie 
fourth, Jones and Brown beat Green and 
White. 

As the value of the rubber sometimes runs 
into large figures, it is advisable to play for 
about one-fourth of the points that one i«^ 
accustomed to at straight Bridge. 



TACTICS OF THE GAME 



TACTICS OF THE GAME. 



There are certain recognized principles of 
play, usually spoken of as conventionalities, in 
all games of cards, and it is a social duty that 
everyone owes to others to learn these con- 
ventionalities before sitting down to play in 
company. To undertake to make up a rubber 
at Auction Bridge without knowing anything 
of its principles, is as bad as offering to dance 
with a partner without knowing any of the 
steps. 

While a great deal must be left to be gained 
from experience at the card table, reverses of 
fortune usually ripening the judgment, there 
are many things which can be learned from 
the text-book, and there are others of which 
the text-book can give hints which are suffi- 
cient to enable a player to recognize the gen- 
eral situation in actual play. 

All examples in a text-book should be gone 
over with the actual cards, and if the reader 
will take the trouble to study the following 
tactics with the cards before him, the princi- 
ples enunciated should be mastered without 
much difficulty, and the result should be a cer- 
67 



68 



AUCTION BRIDGE 



tain confidence in one's ability to play cor- 
rectly. 

The most important element in Auction 
Bridge is the bidding, and we shall begin with 
that. 

BIDDING 

There are several things to be constantly 
kept in view in bidding. The most important 
is to secure the privilege of making the declar- 
ation that promises the best results for your 
own hand. The next is to give your partner 
some idea of what you hold, so that he may 
assist you in one of two ways — in bidding high 
enough to get the declaration, or in defeating 
the adversaries in the play of the hand if they 
outbid you. Another important point is to 
prevent the adversaries from giving informa- 
tion to each other which might be more useful 
to them in playing against you than it would 
be to you in the bidding. Still another con- 
sideration is to keep the other side from going- 
out on its own bid if you can. 

Each of these points will have more or less 
influence on the others, but the most impor- 
tant of all must be kept constantly in view — 
to win the game on your own declaration if 
you can ; because it cannot be won unless your 
side is the maker of the trump. 



AUCTION BRIDGE 



69 



There are five declarations open to the bid- 
der: no-trumps, hearts, diamonds, clubs, and 
spades, and he can bid any number of tricks 
from one t-o seven in any of them. 

We shall begin with the most valuable dec- 
larations first ; not only because they w in the 
most points, but because they frequently shut 
out minor and informatory declarations by the 
adversaries. As a general rule, the dealer 
should bid his hand to its full value at once, 
when he has either a no-trumper or a good red 
make. 

If you are the dealer, and have a good dia- 
mond hand, on which you bid the odd trick 
only, you leave the second player an oppor- 
tunity to bid the odd at no-trumps or hearts, 
or two in clubs. While you or your partner 
may be able to outbid any of these by increas- 
ing your original declaration to two or more 
in diamonds, nothing you can do will undo 
the injury you have done by allowing the sec- 
ond bidder to give his partner an indication 
of his strong suit. 

Had you bid two in diamonds at the start, 
you would have compelled the second bidder 
to pass, or else to bid higher. If he was able 
to bid higher, it does not matter; because he 



70 



AUCTION BRIDGE 



would have outbid you and taken the declara- 
tion away from you in any case. But if his 
bid was merely to convey information to his 
partner, you would have shut him out. What 
is true of the original bids is also true of the 
overbids, as we shall see presently. 

Before taking up the consideration of bids 
which are based on inferences from other 
declarations, the player should be able to rec- 
ognize hands which would Justify certain 
declarations under ordinary circumstances. 
Some hands are always good no-trumpers, or 
heart makes, because of the probability that 
they are strong enough to win at least the odd 
trick. Hands which are above this standard 
should be good enoug'h for more than the odd 
trick ; therefore every player should be thor- 
oughly familiar with the minimum strength 
for an odd-trick declaration, so that he may 
be able to judge how much more than the odd 
trick he would be justified in bidding on some 
hands. 

NO-TRUMP DECLARATIONS 

The best no-trumpers are hands in which 
the strength is scattered among at least three 
suits. When the strength of the hand is all 
massed in one suit, it is usually better to make 
that suit the trump. 

One great advantage of the successful bid- 



AUCTION BRIDGE 



71 



der, often under-estimated, is that he obtains 
the privilege of playing his own hand in com- 
bination with an exposed hand, the Dummy's. 
Good players consider this equal to a trick a 
deal, the cards being equal. 

Absolutely equal cards would be to give 
each player at the table one ace, one king, one 
queen, and so on down to the deuce. If the 
number in the suits and the combinations with 
the partner's hand were also equal, we should 
have some such distribution as this : 

4 Kg, 7, 5 

S^IO, 9, 3 
^ij^Ace, Jack, 6, 2 



#10, 9, 3 

VKg, 7, 5 
4»Qn, 8, 4 

^ Ace, Jack, 6, 2 




4^ Ace, Jack, 6, 2 
S?Qn, 8, 4 
4iKg, 7, 5 

10, 9, 3 



OQn, 8, 4 

4^ Ace, Jack, 6, 2 

A 10, 9, 3 

♦ Kg, 7, 5 

If we suppose that this hand is to be played 
as a no-trumper, it does not matter which of 
the four is the declarer; he will win at least 
the odd trick, almost certainly two by cards. 



72 



AUCTION BRIDGE 



and very likely the game, if the player on his 
left opens conventionally with his longest suit, 
no matter what he and his partner do afterr 
ward. Give the hand to some Bridge players, 
tell them it is a no-trumper, and let them 
try it. 

It will greatly assist the beginner to re- 
member that the standard no-trumper is three 
aces, or their equivalent. This means at least 
three sure tricks in three different suits. 

As one seldom holds exactly three aces, it 
is necessary to be familiar with the combina- 
tions that are equal to an ace in certainty of 
trick-taking. Such as king, queen, or king, 
jack, ten, or queen, jack, ten, are easily recog- 
nized. Length is in itself protection; four to 
a king being considered safe, and even three 
to the queen, ten, may be chanced; but not 
unless under compulsion to stretch a point. 

If we take such a hand as the following: 



AUCTION BRIDGE 



73 



we can easily determine that it is equal to an 
ace in three suits, as it is certain to win at least 
one trick in each. This hand is also a king 
above the average in high cards, because it 
contains ace, king, king, queen, jack, ten, nine, 
distribiited among the various suits. 

A king above the average should be good 
for a trick above the average, leaving the 
advantage of the play for good measure, and 
any hand which is a trick above average and 
protected in three suits should declare no- 
trumps. 

Beginners are usually afraid to make it no- 
trumps if they are very weak in one suit; but 
you can always trust your partner for one 
suit. It is dangerous to trust him for two, 
unless your own hand is so strong in the other 
two as to justify the risk. All you ask him to 
do is to protect the suit in which you have 
nothing ; you do not ask him to make three or 
four tricks in it. 

Protection in a suit means that you can stop 
the adversaries from winning every trick in 
it. They may win one or two rounds, but if 
you are really protected you should be able to 
win the third or fourth round, at the latest. 

As three aces would be a no-trumper, so 
would two aces and a king, queen suit, or one 



74 



AUCTION BRIDGE 



ace and two king, queen suits. The same aces 
with any equally strong suit would be a good 
no-trumper, such as two aces and king, jack, 
ten in another suit, or even queen, jack, ten; 
but a no-trumper without an ace is likely to 
prove expensive. 

Four aces is always a no-trumper unless the 
hearts are strong enough to win the game. 
Beginners, and those who have played Bridge, 
should observe that the honor score for four 
aces in one hand is not of much value in it- 
self ; because if the declaration loses two by 
cards the adversaries will score lOO in the 
honor column for penalty. 

When the eye has been trained to recognize 
any hand which is a king above the average, 
and protected in three suits, as a no-trumper 
for the odd trick, it will be an easy matter to 
see that any hand which is still stronger than 
this should be willing to bid two at no-trumps, 
or even more. Take such cards as these: 



AUCTION BRIDGE 



75 



There are two actual aces, and the king and 
queen of hearts are equal to an ace; enough 
for a no-trump bid. But you have the king 
and queen of spades besides, so that the hand 
should justify a bid of two or even three tricks 
at no-trump. 

Occasionally one may bid no-trumps on two 
suits only, provided neither of the weak suits 
has been declared by an adversary. The long 
and strong suit in such a declaration would of 
course be black, or the hand would be a red 
make. Take such a hand as the following: 




The dealer might bid two in spades in order 
to show his strength ; but if he was not over- 
bid he would have to play the hand as a spade, 
which might prove to be a wasted opportunity. 
With seven tricks in his own cards, the dealer 
should bid at least two at no-trumps, and trust 
his partner to stop whichever suit is opened 
against him. When such bids are made, the 



76 



AUCTION BRIDGE 



adversaries often lead the dealer's re-entry 
suit, hearts in this case. The high original bid 
prevents the adversaries from declaring any 
informatory suits. They would have to bid at 
least four by cards in diamonds to shut out a 
no-trumper like this, as it is almost impossible 
that they could make three in hearts against it. 

RED SUIT DECLARATIONS 

As a rule, no-trumpers are dangerous dec- 
larations at Auction Bridge unless they are 
pretty strong, and if there is sufficient strength 
to justify hearts, or even diamonds, those 
suits should be given the preference, on ac- 
count of their safety. The chief value of a 
no-trump bid is, either as an original declara- 
tion by the dealer, to shut out information, or 
as an advance upon a previous bid of the part- 
ner's, as we shall see presently. Players 
should be especially careful about bidding no- 
trumps after the adversaries have declared a 
suit, unless that suit can be stopped. 

A good working rule for beginners as a test 
for a red suit declaration, is to add to the 
number of the trumps themselves the honors 
in trumps which are as good as ace, king, 
queen, and the aces and kings in plain suits. 
Do not count queens. If the total is eight or 



AUCTION BRIDGE 



77 



better, it is usually a safe bid for the odd 
trick Take the following example : 




This is equal to three aces, and is a king 
above the average ; but it is a better and safer 
heart declaration than no-trump, and has the 
great advantage of telling your partner in 
which suit you are strong. If we count it up 
according to the rule just given, we find five 
trumps, two honors in trumps, one king and 
one ace in plain suits : a total of nine. 

Here is an example of a hand which is not 
a good red declaration if tested by the eight 
rule : 



78 AUCTION BRIDGE 



Although there are five hearts, there is no 
good honor among them,, and no aces and only 
one king in the plain suits ; a total of six^ 
which is too weak to bid oix 

When there is a very short or missing suit,, 
it is sometimes a better trump declaration on 
that account. Five or six trumps of any size 
with a strong five-card plain suit and a miss- 
ing suit, is very strong. 

As a rule, for every trick that one can count 
above this eight-rule test, especially if the 
extra tricks are in plain suits, one can af¥ord 
to bid an extra trick. A player should have 
no hesitation in bidding two by cards on the 
example first given, which counted up to nine. 

Good red makes should always be carefully 
considered when there is a choice between 
them and a no-trumper. Take such cards as 
these : 




While this hand is above the average enough 
for no-trumps, it is a safer diamond at Auction 



AUCTION BRIDGE 



79 



Bridge, especially if you are something up on 
the score. Reckoning six trumps, two high 
honors in trumps, and three aces and kings in 
plain suits, the hand counts up to eleven, and 
should be well worth a bid of three by cards, 
with the chance of going game. If the hand 
is overbid, the suit named may be a guide as 
to the advisability of changing to no-trumps. 

Those who have played Bridge must get 
over any aversion they may have had to de- 
claring diamonds; because, although it is a 
difficult matter to win the game from zero 
with a diamond, the player in Auction Bridge 
must take every opportunity to advance his 
score surely and steadily, instead of over- 
reaching himself in an attempt to go game on 
one deal. The closer he gets to thirty points, 
the greater the chances the adversaries will 
take to overbid him, and the more points he is 
likely to pile up in the honor column from 
penalties in consequence. 

Trump honors, in Auction Bridge, are of 
comparatively small importance, except as 
trick-winners, because of the large number of 
points usually piled up for penalties, and the 
increased value of the rubber points, 250. 



8o 



AUCTION BRIDGE 



BLACK SUIT DECLARATIONS 

A declaration of the odd only in spades is 
never made except by the dealer, and when 
he bids the odd only, it is a sign of weakness. 
It does not mean that he would like to play 
spades, but that he practically passes the bid 
along to the others. If the dealer is really 
strong enough in spades to make the odd or 
better, he should bid two in spades; and even 
if he has nothing But spades, he should de- 
clare them if he has three or four honors in 
the suit. 

The dealer should always declare two in 
spades when he can count his hand up to 
eight by the rule given for red suits. Take 
these cards, for instance: 




The dealer does not want to play spades, but 
simply to intimate to his partner that he has a 



AUCTION BRIDGE 



8l 



very strong hand, chiefly in the spade suit. 
Some players bid two in spades with any hand 
which is not a weak one ; but it is a very dan- 
gerous practice to name a suit which you are 
not strong in, unless you bid the odd trick 
only. 

The dealer should never declare clubs unless 
he is so strong in them that he is willing to 
play them as trumps even if he is doubled. 
As a rule, a club declaration is an invitation 
to the partner to increase t^ie bid to no-trumps 
if he can protect both the red suits. When the 
clubs are not strong enough to be sure of the 
odd trick, it is usually better to declare the 
odd in spades, and wait for your partner to 
indicate something which the club suit may 
help out. Do not be afraid that your partner 
will leave you in the hole on a spade make. 

With a sure trick in a side suit, a sporty no- 
trumper may be better than a club. Take 
these cards: 



82 



AUCTION BRIDGE 



Without the sure trick in the side suit, this 
would be a club declaration; but as it is, a 
no-trump bid is better. 

When the clubs are not strong enough to 
justify you in encouraging your partner to go 
no-trumps upon your assistance in that suit, it 
is better to declare the odd in spades. With 
such cards as these, for instance : 




to declare clubs, with only two tricks in the 
hand, would be to give the partner a false 
idea of its possibilities. Many good players 
make it a rule to declare the odd in spades 
always when their hand is not good for more 
than two tricks ; because such a hand is de- 
cidedly below average. 

OVERBIDDING 

As soon as the dealer has made his declara- 
tion, it becomes the duty of the second bidder 
to give his partner, who will be the fourth 



AUCTION BRIDGE 



83 



bidder, some idea of the suit in which his 
strength Hes, if he can ; but he should not 
make a declaration which is absolutely hope- 
less unless it is done with the deliberate inten- 
tion of shutting the dealer out. Neither should 
he bid a number of tricks which is more than 
necessary to over-call the previous declaration, 
except with a view to shutting out an inform- 
atory bid by the dealer's partner. If the 
dealer's original bid is a forced one in 
spades," it will usually pay the second bidder 
to make it expensive for the dealer's partner 
to name a suit. 

There is no use piling up penalties against 
3^ourself just for the sake of giving your part- 
ner information that cannot be of any use to 
him unless he has a phenomenal hand. When 
you have to bid two or three by cards just to 
tell your partner what your suit is, you invite 
the adversaries to let you play it, or to double 
you, and then your partner has to let it go 
at that, or pull you out of your hole by going 
into a deeper one himself. It is when the 
dealer's bid is low that the second bidder gets 
his opportunity. 

When the dealer bids the odd in spades, 
the eldest hand, sitting on his left (whom we 
shall call the second bidder), should immedi- 



84 AUCTION BRIDGE 



ately name his strong suit, if it is worth any- 
thing at all. Even if it is good for two or 
three tricks only, it is of the greatest import- 
ance to inform the partner, so that he may 
know what he is doing if the dealer's partner 
helps the dealer out by making a better bid. 
When the second bidder names a suit, the 
fourth bidder can take advantage of the in- 
formation in either of two ways — in bidding 
on the combined strength of the two hands, 
or in leading suit which the second bidder 
declares strength in, in case the dealer's part- 
ner becomes declarer on the deal. 

The score plays a very important part in 
overbidding. Suppose the dealer declares the 
odd in spades when he is not more than 
twenty up. If the second bidder has only an 
average hand, he should pass at once, so as 
to let the dealer play spades ; because he can- 
not possibly win the game with such a declar- 
ation. When the second bidder passes, it be- 
comes the duty of the third bidder to pull the 
dealer out, if he can, by bidding something 
in which there is a chance to go game. 

Then one of two things must happen. If 
the adversaries can, they will outbid the 
dealer's partner, especially if they have any 
fear that he will go out on his declaration. 



AUCTION BRIDGE 



8s 



Or, if they think the declaration is weak, they 
can let it stand and double it. 

If the dealer's partner holds bad cards, and 
cannot risk anything- when the dealer bids the 
odd in spades and the second bidder passes, 
it is a convention in many circles to overbid 
the dealer by offering two in spades. The 
theory is that the dealer's bid may be forced, 
and that he may not be absolutely weak, but 
simply waiting for the bids of others to guide 
him. An overbid of two in spades not only 
warns him of the weakness of his partner's 
hand, but gives him a chance to change his 
bid if he cares to. This opportunity to bid 
again may be invaluable. 

When the second bidder lets the dealer's 
odd in spades pass, and the third bidder is not 
able to do anything better than spades, the 
fourth bidder should be pretty strong to inter- 
fere with his partner's handling of the situa- 
tion, and should wait for the dealer, to see 
if he is going to risk a change of suit or not. 

These outlines are only hints, of course, as 
this part of the play is so infinitely varied that 
it will be much better and more quickly 
learned at the card-table than from any text- 
book. Nothing will impress such situations 



86 



AUCTION BRIDGE 



on the beginner so clearly as to burn his 
fingers with them once or twice. 

If the second bidder has an}' suit which is 
good for two or three tricks, he should de- 
clare it, if he has not been shut out by a better 
declaration on the dealer's part ; because the 
information of such a suit may be valuable to 
the fourth bidder. If strong in spades, he 
can double the dealer's spade declaration of 
the odd. If he is strong in clubs, he can de- 
clare clubs, even if he has not the strength 
that the dealer should have to declare that 
suit. If he declares a red suit, he should have 
a hand on which he would declare red in any 
position, and be willing to play it, apart from 
any consideration of giving information. 
Such a hand should count up to eight or 
better, according to the rule already given for 
the dealer. 

The third bidder must be guided largely by 
the dealer's declaration, modified by the over- 
bidding, if any. The combinations are so 
endless that it would be impossible to enumer- 
ate a tenth part of them ; but one or two ex- 
amples may give the reader a fair idea of how 
to manage such situations. 

If you are third bidder, and your partner, 
the dealer, declares the odd in spades, you 



AUCTION BRIDGE 



87 



cannot trust him for more than two possible 
tricks, and any red suit declaration should be 
unusually strong to justify it. But if he bids 
two in spades, or the odd in clubs, you can 
safely depend on him for a strong suit. With 
two good suits yourself, but not strong 
enough to make it red, you should at once 
declare no-trumps. 

When the dealer declares a red suit, and 
you have winning cards in the other suits, 
increase his bid if anything ; but do not change 
the declaration unless it is absolutely neces- 
sary to overbid the adversaries, or unless you 
see there is more in the hand as a no-trumper. 

When the dealer declares no-trumps, and 
the third bidder has great strength in one suit, 
the dealer must be protected in the three other 
suits. As third bidder, you can then safely 
increase the number of tricks bid, without 
changing the declaration from no-trumps. If 
it is hearts in which you are strong as third 
bidder, wdien the dealer has declared no- 
trumps, it sometimes pays to overbid the 
dealer by changing to hearts, using his scat- 
tered strength to support your trumps. 

Upon one occasion I saw a dealer declare 
the odd at no-trumps, holding the ace and 
small hearts, the ace and small clubs, no dia- 



88 AUCTION BRIDGE 



moncls, and six spades to the king, queen, 
jack. His partner had six hearts to the king, 
queen, jack, and also no diamonds ; and when 
the second bidder passed, the third bidder very 
wisely overbid, and declared two in hearts, 
which shut out eight winning diamonds in the 
hand of the second bidder, who had shrewdly 
refrained from doubling, hoping the no-trump 
declaration would stand. 

When you are very weak in a suit which is 
declared by the adversaries, you should over- 
bid them, so as to prevent them from going 
game, unless you are so much ahead of them 
in the matter of penalties that you can afford 
to let them win the rubber and still be a win- 
ner in points yourself. 

Take this case : The dealer bids the odd 
in spades. Second bidder, being eighteen up, 
declares two in diamonds. While one in dia- 
monds would be enough to overbid, he offers 
two, so as to prevent the dealer's partner from 
giving information too cheaply, which he will 
always seize an opportunity to do when the 
dealer's bid is a forced " one in spades." The 
dealer's partner in this case holds no dia- 
monds, but has something like four hearts to 
the king, four clubs to the ace-queen, and five 
spades to the king. He knows that his part- 



AUCTION BRIDGE 89 



ner is either waiting to see how the land Hes, 
and may be weak, but he bids two in hearts ; 
not with any idea of being able to make it, 
but in order to keep the game in, which would 
be lost if the adversaries were allowed to play 
diamonds for trumps. 

Observe that in overbidding just to save the 
game, it is always advisable to bid as few 
tricks as possible, as the penalty is the same 
no matter what the declaration is. If the 
third bidder in this case had bid three in clubs, 
so as to overbid the two in diamonds, he 
would be running an extra risk of penalties. 

When the fourth bidder pulled his partner 
out by declaring three in diamonds, the dealer 
took his partner's cue and bid two in no- 
trumps, as he was weak in hearts, but had a 
stopper in diamonds. This shifting to no- 
trumps told the third bidder positively that 
the diamond suit was protected, as both the 
dealer and his partner knew it would be led, 
the adversaries having declared it. 

There is one point to which the beginner's 
attention should be directed, and that is the 
difference between declaring no-trumps and 
defeating a no-trump declaration. If the 
dealer bids no-trumps, and the second bidder 
holds a solid suit, good for eight tricks, he 



90 



AUCTION BRIDGE 



can defeat the declaration ; because he has the 
lead. But he could not declare no-trumps 
himself, because he cannot get that suit led, 
and might not be able to bring it into play 
until the odd trick had been lost. Therefore, 
if a player bids two in diamonds with six 
solid trump tricks and an outside king, that 
does not mean that he would also be willing 
to declare two in no-trumps with such cards ; 
and a no-trump bid will frequently shut him 
out, and prevent him from mentioning the suit 
even, which is of the greatest importance. 

Situations something like the following fre- 
quently arise : The dealer bids the odd in 
spades; second bidder declares two in dia- 
monds ; third bidder two in hearts. If the 
fourth bidder judges from his own cards, and 
from his partner's diamond declaration, that 
the heart bid is simply to shut out the dia- 
monds, he can outbid the hearts by bidding 
three in diamonds ; but such a bid should be 
a clear indication to his partner that the hearts 
will be taken care of ; because it is a challenge 
to the adversaries to increase their heart bid. 

If the dealer's side does overbid, by going 
three in hearts, the others will have to con- 
sider their chances of making four by cards 



AUCTION BRIDGE 



9^ 



in diamonds, or shifting to no-trumps, or 
letting the heart declaration stand and se- 
curing penalties in the honor column, perhaps 
doubled. Of course, if they go on, and over- 
bid their diamond hand, they may lose heavily 
by it, as they will have penalties piled up 
against themselves, when they might easily 
have beaten the heart declaration. It is situ- 
ations like this that make Atiction Bridge such 
an interesting game, 

DOUBLING 

It is a great mistake for the second bid ler 
to double an original declaration, or one that 
can be backed out of ; because it alarms the 
dealer's partner. Suppose the dealer declares 
the odd at no-trump, and the second bidder 
doubles. The third bidder immediately pulls 
the dealer out of the hole he is in by declar- 
ing two in diamonds or hearts, or three in 
clubs, or anything, so as to prevent the second 
bidder from defeating the no-trumper and 
scoring lOO points a trick penalty. 

What has the second bidder gained by his 
doubling? He has not given his partner any 
idea of the suit with which he proposed to 
defeat the no-trump make, but he has driven 
the opposing bid to such a figure that he dare 



92 



AUCTION BRIDGE 



not come in and name his own suit against it, 
unless it is a red suit. 

The best time for doubhng is when you 
think that the bidding has forced the adver- 
saries up so far that they have over-reached 
their strength. Take this distribution of the 
cards as an illustration of such a case: 



^ Ace, Jack, 8. 7, 5 
S? Jack, 7, 6, 5 
^ Kg, Jack, 10. 3 





♦ Kg, Qn 

y Qn, 10, 8 
41.9, 6 

OA, K. Q, 9, 




410, 9. 4, 3 

^■8, 7, 4, 2 

Jack, 10, 8, 6 



♦ 6, 2 

^ Ace, Kg, 9, 4, 2 
4i Ace. Qn, 5 
7, 5, 8 

The dealer, Z, bid the odd in hearts, and A 
bid two in diamonds. Y declared two tricks 
in hearts, as he could ruff the opposing dia- 
mond suit, making his own trumps separately 
from his partner's. B, with two honors in 
diamonds, and able to ruff hearts after one 



AUCTION BRIDGE 



93 



round, bid three in diamonds. The dealer 
passed, not knowing the situation, and being 
afraid of his five weak cards in diamonds and 
spades. A, who argued that he had the heart 
suit stopped, and that his partner knew^ his 
diamond suit, declared two in no-trumps, 
trusting B to stop the clubs, should that suit 
be led. Y, still sure of the advantage of being 
able to ruff the first round of diamonds, bid 
three in hearts, so as to outbid A, and, both 
the others passing, A offered to make three 
in no-trum.ps. 

Y, afraid to risk five by cards in hearts, 
which would have been defeated, turned round 
and doubled A's no-trumper, on the ground 
that if A should make three by cards he would 
win the game and rubber, and a few pen- 
alty points did not matter much. This left B 
helpless, as the bidding had gone too far for 
him to risk a Little Slam in diamonds, and 
nothing else would overbid, so he hoped the 
no-trumper would go through, as he knew A 
must have the hearts stopped, and all the dia- 
monds ought to fall. 

A became the declarer, and Y led his best 
heart, the jack, which Z won with the king 
and led the ace. As the rule is to lead the 
best card of the suit your partner has named 



94 



AUCTION BRIDGE 



in his bidding, Z marks the queen of hearts 
with A, and as it does not fall, Z shifts to 
clubs. Four club tricks and the ace of spades, 
in addition to the two heart tricks, netted Y 
and Z 300 points penalty as a reward for their 
good judgment in doubling at the right time. 

OPENING LEADS 

The player who first names the suit which 
is finally settled on for the trump, or who first 
declares no-trumps if the hand is to be played 
that way, becomes declarer for that deal, no 
matter how much his original offer for tricks 
may have been increased, and the player sit- 
ting on his left leads for the first trick. 

If we suppose this to be the position of the 
players : 




Z having dealt and bid the odd in spades, A 
bids two in hearts, Y bids two in no-trumps, 



AUCTION BRIDGE 



95 



B makes it three in hearts, Z passes, A passes, 
and Y doubles. Although A's bid has been 
increased by one player and doubled by an- 
other, hearts are to be the trump, and as A 
first named them, he is declarer, and Y leads 
for the first trick. 

As soon as a card is led, declarer's partner 
lays down his thirteen cards and becomes 
Dummy, taking no further part in the game. 

The suit selected for the opening lead by 
the eldest hand will /lepend largely upon 
whether or not he has any information as to 
his partner's strength, or has a good suit of 
his own. The mere fact that the partner has 
declared a suit does not mean that he can 
win every trick in it. A trump suit may b6 
selected and bid upon which has only one 
honor in it, if the side cards are strong. 
Overbids, especially when made to keep the 
other side from going game, are not to be 
regarded as guides which are as reliable as 
those made in good faith. If a player bids 
hearts to take the declaration away from an 
opponent that looks as if he would go game on 
diamonds, that is not as true an index of his 
strength in hearts as it would have been had 
he bid the odd in hearts after the dealer had 
declared the odd in spades. 



96 



AUCTION BRIDGE 



If the eldest hand can hold the lead until he 
has seen Dummy's cards, it is usually a great 
advantage, especially if he does not give up 
the control of the suit by so doing ; but to 
lead an ace just for the sake of seeing Dummy 
is often a mistake. In no-trumps it is almost 
always so. 

If your partner has declared a suit in a hand 
which is eventually played as a no-trumper, 
lead him that suit, unless you have a good suit 
of your own, such as ace, king. If you think 
his declaration of the suit was from strength 
in it, sacrifice your hand to his, and lead him 
the best card you hold in it, regardless of 
number, so that he may know what is against 
him. 

If you are the only one of the partnership 
that has named a suit, the declaration having 
been changed afterward to no-trumps, it is 
almost a certainty that the adversaries, who 
are to play the declarer's side, have the suit 
stopped. But unless this stopper is some card 
that you could catch if the suit were led by 
your partner, you may as well start your suit 
and lead it right out until you get it cleared. 

If you have declared clubs, for instance, 
holding six to the ace, queen, jack, and your 



AUCTION BRIDGE 



97 



partner has overbid the player on your left by 
naming hearts, the hand being finally played 
as a no-trumper, your lead should be your best 
heart, on the chance that you can catch the 
guarded king of clubs if your partner can lead 
through it. Here is a situation of this kind: 



4»'9, 5, 2 
S?9, 2 

10, 9, 7, 



6, 3 



f^lO, 8 

Q, 10, 6, o, 3 
4 10, 3 
Jack, 4, 2 




^ Kg,Qn,Jk,6,4 
^Ace, Jack. 8 
^Kg, 7, 5 
^ Ace, Qn 



^Ace, 7', 3 
S?7, 4, 

4iA, Q, J, 6, 4, 2 
08, 5 



Z dealt and bid the odd in clubs ; overbid by 
A in diamonds ; overbid by Y with one in 
hearts. As B had both the adversaries' de- 
clared suits stopped, and could infer that his 
partner was strong in diamonds, he bid one 



98 



AUCTION BRIDGE 



in no-trumps. Z raised his partner's heart bid 
to two tricks, and B raised his own bid, Z 
raised to three in hearts, because he knew that 
his partner, Y, could have nothing but hearts, 
and Z was afraid that Y would stop bidding 
when B went two in no-trumps. This bid of 
Z's forced B to go on to three in no-trumps. 
Neither Y nor Z dared to risk five in hearts; 
but Z doubled the no-trumper, and A could 
do nothing to pull his partner out. 

B became the declarer, and Z led a heart, 
that being his partner's declaration. B tried 
to drop the diamonds, overtaking his own 
lead. As th,e jack did not fall, he tried the 
spades, putting Z in, who led another heart. 
Y quit the hearts, and came through with the 
ten of clubs, the suit indicated by his partner's 
opening bid ; two by cards for YZ. 

If you lead a suit because it has been indi- 
cated by your partner, lead the top of it, re- 
gardless of number, so as to show him the 
highest card in it; but if you lead your own 
suit, lead it according to the conventional 
rules for leading high or low cards. 

When suits are led by the adversaries of the 
declarer, which are not opened in response to 
the partner's indication, there is a slight dif- 



AUCTION BRIDGE 



99 



ference in the leads from high cards when 
there is a trump and when there is no trump. 

LEADING AGAINST TRUMPS 

If your partner has doubled a trump declar- 
ation, do not assume great strength in his hand 
in the trump suit, and avoid a trump lead at 
all costs. 

Against any trump declaration, the best 
suits to open are those headed by two or more 
cards in sequence. The Avorst are those with 
honors which are not in sequence when the 
suit is short, and those headed by single 
honors which are not the ace. The best of 
all openings are suits headed by both ace and 
king, as they hold the lead until Dummy's 
cards are laid down, and still command the 
suit. 

Every player should learn the various com- 
binations from which it is conventional to lead 
one of the five high cards — the ace, king, 
queen, jack, or ten. These leads are covered 
by five simple rules. ^ 

The king is always led when it is accom- 
panied by the card next it in value, above or 
b,elow ; that is, by the ace or the queen or 
both. From any of the following combina- 



100 



AUCTION BRIDGE 



tions, the proper card to lead would be the 
king: 




There are two objects in view in leading 
conventionally. In the first place, you make 
the most out of the suit by leading high cards 
instead of low ones. In the second place, if 
your partner is a good player, and knows the 
leads, he will be able to infer what combina- 
tion of high cards you hold. 

When playing against a trump declaration, 
there is little for the adversaries to do in the 
opening attack but to show each other what 
tricks they can win. This the leader does by 



AUCTION BRIDGE 



lOI 



Opening conventionally, while his partner in- 
dicates, by methods to be explained when we 
come to the play of the third hand, whether 
or not he can trump the smaller cards of the 
suit after the leader has exhausted his wanning 
cards. 

If the king is led from any of the foregoing 
combinations, it will win the trick, and the 
partner will infer that the leader must hold 
the ace. For the second round of the suit the 
leader should follow the king with the lowest 
card he has that is just as good as the ace — 
that is, that will win the second trick. 

These secondary leads are based on the 
principle that you should never tell your part- 
ner anything he already knows, when you can 
tell him something that he does not know. 

From the first combination, having led the 
king and won the trick, your partner knows 
you have the ace. Follow with the jack, 
which tells him it is as good as the ace, and 
marks you with the queen also. From the 
second combination, follow with the queen, 
which is as good as the ace ; but denies the 
jack. From the third and fourth, you must 
follow the king with the ace, which denies the 
que,en. 

Tlie king is also led from the following 



I02 



AUCTION BRIDGE 



combinations, because it is accompanied by 
the card next in value, in these, the queen : 




If the king wins, you infer that your part- 
ner holds the ace. If the king loses, your 
partner infers that you hold the queen. If you 
lead the suit again, lead the card that he does 
not know. From the first, lead the ten after 
the king, because the ten is as good as the 
queen, which is the card he knows. From the 
second, lead the jack, which is as good as the 
queen ; but denies the ten. 

If the king loses to the ace, and you have 
not the jack, you must go on with the best 



AUCTION BRIDGE 



103 



card of the suit when you get in again, which 
will be the queen ; but from the first two com- 
binations you should invariably go on with a 
high card, whether the king wins or not. If 
the king wins when you have not the jack, 3^ou 
do not lead the queen, but follow the king 
with your original fourth best of the suit, even 
if you hold five or six cards of it. 

The queen is led when accompanied by the 
jack, with no higher card in the suit. This 
would be a queen lead: 




4. 4. 
4. 4. 
4* 'I' 



The jack is led as the top of a suit only, 
there being no higher card in the hand. When 
the suit is one of four or more cards, the jack 
must be accompanied by the ten ; but if the 
suit is short, three cards, or two only, the jack 
is led even without the ten, so as to show its 
weakness. Either of these would be jack 
leads : 





9? 







104 



AUCTION BRIDGE 



The ten is led from one combination only 




0^0 
o o 



o o 
o o 
o o 



If the leader opens a suit which is headed 
by the ace, without the king, he should always 
lead the aqe, or it may be lost when playing 
against a declared trump. This does not mean 
that you should pick out an ace suit to lead; 
but that if you have to open that suit, and it 
is headed by the ace without the king, the ace 
is the card to lead. The following are all ace 
leads ; because the king is not present : 




4. 4. 



4. 4. 

o 



AUCTION BRIDGE IO5 



After leading the ace, follow with your 
original fourth-best, unless you hold two 
honors in sequence, as in the first two com- 
binations shown. In that case you lead one 
of the two honors, and always the higher, so 
that the jack following the ace will deny the 
queen, while the queen following the ace will 
show the jack. 

The fourth-best of the suit is always led 
originally when you have no combination 
from which you would lead a high card. The 
fourth-best is also the card of uniformity for 
the second round in all suits in which you do 
not lead a high card for the second round. 
This card is always counted from the top of 
the suit as it stood originally. In each of the 
following the fourth-best would be the four: 






9? 


9? 


9? 



io6 



AUCTION BRIDGE 



O O 

o o 






















O O 
o 





o o 
















o o 
o 



LEADS AGAINST NO-TRUMPERS 

When playing against a no-trump declara- 
tion, if your partner has not indicated a suit, 
you should select the longest suit in your own 
hand for the opening, unless you have a suit 
headed by three honors, one as good as the 
king. 

In playing against no-trumpers, there is no 
hurry about making- your aces and kings, as 
there is in a trump declaration ; because you 
are not in the same danger of losing them. 
They cannot be trumped, and they may be 
more useful later in the hand than at the start. 

There is this simple difference between the 
rules for leading high cards. Against a trump 
declaration, you always lead from any two 
honors in sequence ; but at no-trumps you do 



AUCTION BRIDGE 



107 



not lead high cards unless you have three 
honors, at least two of them in sequence. 
From such combinations as ace, king-, queen ; 
king, queen, jack^ queen, jack, ten; ace, queen, 
jack ; or king, queen, ten, you would lead the 
same way in either cas,e; but from such suits 
as ace, king; king, queen; or queen, jack, you 
lead the fourth-best at no-trump. An excep- 
tion may be made if you are very long in tlie 
suit, seven cards or more. 

There is no hurry about making aces at no- 
trump, and if you open a suit which is headed 
by the ace without the king, never lead the ace 
unless you have the queen and jack also; but 
start with the fourth-best. 

Against no-trumpers, it is better to avoid 
leads from short suits, if possible. They are 
a resource when all the other suits are bad 
ones to open, such as three- or four-card suits 
headed by honors which are not in sequence, 
like ace, queen, or king, jack. It is not often 
that such openings are justified in Auction 
Bridge, and they should be avoided ; short- 
suit leads being reserved for a response to the 
partner's declared suit. 

If a short suit is led, always lead the best 
card of it if it is not as good as a queen, and 
follow with the next best, whether you lead it, 



I08 AUCTION BRIDGE 



follow suit, or discard, so that the partner may 
infer that you still have a smaller card if you 
had three originally. Lead a queen, king, or 
ace at the top of two or three, if it is your 
partner's suit you are trying to hit. 

THIRD HAND PLAY 

In playing against a declared trump, it 
should be the duty of the third hand to show 
his partner whether or not he can trump the 
third round of th,e suit first opened, if it is not 
his own suit. If he cannot trump it, he may 
be able to warn his partner that the foiTrth 
hand will. 

When high cards are led, or played in by 
Dummy, so that third hand makes no attempt 
to win the trick, he plays the higher of two 
cards only, neither of them an honor; but the 
lowest of three or more, no matter what they 
are. Suppose third hand to hold the eight and 
four only of a suit in which his partner leads 
the king. The proper play to the first trick is 
the eight. When the lower card drops to the 
second round of the suit, the leader will know 
that his partner has no more, and can trump a 
third round. If the first card played by third 
hand is smaller than the second he plays, he 
must have a third, as he is playing up. This 



AUCTION BRIDGE 



may warn the leader that declarer is out of 
the suit. 

When one of the two cards is as high as the 
jack, this echo is unnecessary, as the fall of 
the jack will show the queen or no more. If 
the jack falls to the first trick, the player must 
have the queen or no more. 

This is called the down-and-out echo, but 
its use is confined exclusively to trump- 
declaring hands. 

Against no-trumpers, when the third hand 
makes no attempt to win the trick, he should 
always play his second-best card, regardless 
of number or value. On the second round, if 
he had more than two originally, he always 
keeps his original lowest to the last, playing 
the one above it. 

Suppose a king is led, and third hand holds 
jack, ten, four. He plays the ten the first 
time, the jack the next, keeping the four. 
Suppose he holds jack, ten, eight, four. He 
plays the ten the first time, but the eight the 
next. It will be observed that with two or 
three of the suit he plays up, while with four 
he plays down. 

When the third hand tries to win a trick, he 
does so as cheaply as possible. With any high 
cards in sequence, such as ace, king, or king, 



no 



AUCTION BRIDGE 



queen, or queen, jack, he should always play 
the lower card, so as not to deceive his part- 
ner. To play the ace when holding the king 
third hand, is to tell the leader that declarer 
has the king against him, which might be an 
expensive piece of deception. You cannot de- 
ceive the declarer, as he knows that neither he 
nor Dummy has the king. 

The eleven rule is sometimes useful to the 
third hand in showing him how far from es- 
tablished the leader's suit may be, and also 
sometimes in enabling third hand to hold over 
Dummy to advantage. The rule can be ap- 
plied only when the original leader opens with 
his fourth-best. 

By deducting from eleven the number of 
pips on any fourth-best lead of the partner's, 
the third hand may count how many cards, 
higher than the one led, are not in the leader's 
hand. If they are not in the leader's hand, 
nor in Dummy's, nor in third hand, the infer- 
ence is that the declarer holds them. If 
Dummy and third hand hold all the higher 
cards indicated, the inference is that the de- 
clarer has no card higher than the one led. 

Suppose you are third hand, and your part- 
ner leads the seven of clubs, Dummy laying 



AUCTION BRIDGE 



III 



down the queen, nine, two; you holding ace, 
jack, three. This will be the position: 











4. 





Leader 





4, 4. 




4» 


mm 








mm 


4. 4. 




4- 



Third Hand 



Deducting the card led, seven, from eleven, 
leaves four. These four cards, which are to 
be higher than the one led, are all in sight — 
queen, nine in Dummy; ace, jack in your own 
hand ; therefore the declarer cannot have any 
card higher than the seven. If he has, your 
partner's seven cannot be the fourth-best of 
his club holding, as you will see if you lay out 
the whole suit. 



112 



AUCTION BRIDGE 



RETURN LEADS 

In returning the suit first opened by your 
partner, always lead one of the second- and 
third-best if you hold both those cards ; such 
as jack, ten, after the king has forced out the 
ace ; or queen, jack, if your partner has led 
the ace and the suit has been changed. 

With any two cards of your partner's suit, 
return the higher. With three or more, re- 
turn the lowest, except that you should lead a 
card that will beat Dummy if you can. Hold- 
ing jack, nine, four, for instance. Dummy with 
only seven high, return the nine ; not the four. 

If you change the suit, or have no miore of 
your partner's suit to lead to him, always lead 
up to Dummy's weak suits. To lead up to 
Dummy's strong suit should show that you can 
trump the second round of it. Let your part- 
ner lead through Dummy's strong suits. If 
you hold over Dummy, and can catch his high 
cards, put your partner in on another suit if 
possible. Sometimes you can show what you 
want led, as when you have an ace, king, jack 
suit. Dummy holding the queen twice guarded. 
Lead the king to show the ace, and then 
change suits, so as to get the finesse of the 



AUCTION BRIDGE 



jack if your partner can get in and lead 
through. 

SECOND HAND PLAY 

With Dummy on your left, all that is neces- 
sary is to beat the cards exposed in his hand if 
you can, when a suit is led through you. It is 
useless to play high cards second hand under 
the impression that you will force Dummy to 
play higher, unless your high cards are two or 
more in sequence. Many beginners have an 
idea that if they play the king second hand. 
Dummy's ace will be forced ; but Dummy's 
ace is forced in any case, and to play the king 
is to throw it away, if a small card is led. 

As a rule, cover an honor with an honor, 
when the honor in your suit is led through. 
If Dummy leads a queen, and you have the 
king and only two small, it usually pays to put 
on the king, so as to force the declarer to play 
two honors to get one trick ; and you may 
make the jack or ten good in your partner's 
hand by so doing. 

With any combination of cards from which 
you would lead a high card, play a high card 
second hand if a small card is led through you. 
With ace, king, for instance ; or king, queen ; 
or queen, jack; or king, jack, ten, play the 



114 



AUCTION BRIDGE 



lowest of the high cards second hand on a 
small card led through you. 

The declarer must manage his second hand 
plays according to the combination which is 
formed by the two hands. It is never neces- 
sary to play a high card second hand, such as 
a cjueen, from one hand, when there is a card 
in sequence with it, such as king or jack, in 
the fourth hand. 

With queen and only one small in second 
hand, ace and others in fourth hand, it is 
better for the declarer to put on the queen, as 
that may make two tricks in the suit. But with 
the ten in the same hand as the ace, do not 
play the queen ; because if the lead is allowed 
to come up to the ace, ten, small, th^ declarer 
must make two tricks in the suit, no matter 
what third hand plays. The same is true of 
jack and one small in one hand; king and 
others in fourth hand. The jack may make 
two tricks in the suit if the lead was a low 
card from ace, queen. 

At no-trumps, if the fourth hand cannot beat 
the card led, second hand should cover it if 
possible, so as to put the lead on the right. 
Suppose a seven is led, and Dummy lays down 
king, nine, three, the declarer having nothing 
higher than the seven in that suit. The nine 



AUCTION BRIDGE II5 



should be played from Dummy, or the third 
hand will pass the seven, as he knows by the 
eleven rule that the declarer cannot beat it. 
This will compel third hand to win the trick 
and lead up to the guarded king, or else 
change the suit. 

THE DECLARER'S PLAY 

With a declared trump, the declarer's first 
consideration upon getting into the lead must 
be whether or not to exhaust the adverse 
trumps at once, or to cTo something else first. 

If there seem to be more tricks in making 
the declarer's and Dummy's trumps separately 
by a cross-ruff, the trump lead should be 
avoided. Sometimes the lead is in the wrong 
hand to play trumps to advantage, and a plain 
suit must be led to put the other hand in. 
Sometimes Dummy can make a little trump 
before trumps are led, and then again it is 
often impossible, by leading winning cards of 
a plain suit first, to get rid of losing cards in 
the other hand, that hand having none of the 
suit led. 

In no-trumps, the declarer must make up his 
mind at once, upon getting into the lead, which 
suit he is going to play for. As a rule, he 
should select the suit in which he has the most 



Il6 AUCTION BRIDGE 



cards, counting those in both hands. If two 
suits are equal, he should choose the one which 
has more cards in one hand than the other. 
If two suits are equal in all these respects, it 
is always better to play for the one that is 
shown on the table, so that the strength in the 
hand may be concealed from the adversaries 
as long as possible. They may discard from 
that suit, and perhaps unguard it. 

The golden rule for the declarer, in his 
management of the combined hands, is to lead 
from the weak hand to the strong, so as to 
secure all the extra tricks he can by finessing. 

If there was nothing in the play but to take 
tricks with the aces and kings, the declarer 
might as well lay down his cards and claim 
so many tricks at once ; but by good manage- 
ment he may make tricks with cards which are 
not aces and kings by any means, and may 
prevent cards as good as kings and queens 
from ever winning tricks for the adversaries 
that hold them. 

A finesse is an attempt to win a trick with 
any card which is not the best you hold of that 
suit, nor in sequence with it. If you have ace, 
queen in one hand, small cards in the other, 
you can lead from the weak hand to the strong, 
and finesse the queen. If the king is on the 



AUCTION BRIDGE 



117 



right of the ace-queen combination, you win 
two tricks in the suit, by the finesse. 

Sometimes two finesses are necessary in the 
same suit. These must be secured in one of 
two ways — either by taking one finesse, and 
then putting the weaker hand in again on an- 
other suit ; or by so managing the cards that 
the weaker hand may retain the lead. Sup- 
pose this is the position, either hand being 
Dummy's, the other the declarer's : 



The rule is to lead high cards from the short 
hand, and most players would be satisfied to 
lead the jack, intending to play the small card 
from the other hand. This will win in all cases 
but one. If the king happens to be three times 
guarded on the left, it must eventually be led 
up to. If the eight is with the king, the king 
will cover the nine, if the ten is played under 
the jack on the first lead. 

The only way to manage this instructive po- 



Il8 AUCTION BRIDGE 



-sition is to lead the nine, so that if it is not 
covered the four can be pla3^ed on it. Follow 
with the jack, and play the ten on it, and then 
the king must be caught if it is on the left. 

Holding ace, jack, ten in one hand, small 
cards in the other, it may be necessary to lead 
the suit twice from the weaker hand. The 
ten should be finessed the first time if the sec- 
ond hand does not play king or queen, and the 
weak hand must be put in again to give a 
finesse of the Jack on the second round, the 
theory being that both king and queen are un- 
likely to be on the right. If a high card is 
played second hand, win it with the ace and 
force out the other with the jack or ten. 

In planning the play of a no-trumper, de- 
clarer must be careful to provide for re-entry 
cards, otherwise he may not be able to make 
tricks with the long cards of his suit after he 
gets it established. Holding the ace in one 
hand, king in the other, and another big suit 
in one hand, not established, if it is necessary 
to win a trick with the ace or king', win it 
with the hand which does not hold the long 
suit, so that such a useful side card may be 
preserved for re-entry purposes. A misplay on 
the first trick of the hand is often fatal in this 
respect, declarer not having been careful to 



AUCTION BRIDGE 



119 



look ahead to see which hand should hold on 
to its high cards. 

Ducking is a common way of bringing in a 
suit when there is no re-entry card in another 
suit. Suppose Dummy holds a six-card suit, 
headed by ace, king, and that declarer has only 
two small cards of that suit, Dummy having 
no re-entry in any other suit. If two rounds 
of the suit are led out, the remainder of the 
suit is dead. But if the first round is ducked, 
holding up both ace and king, the next time 
that declarer gets in he can lead the suit again, 
and the ace and king, winning the second and 
third rounds instead of the first and second, 
may make every remaining trick in the suit. 

When the dealer is afraid of a suit opened 
against him and has only one winning card in 
it, such as the ace, it is better to hold up that 
card until one adversary is out of the suit, so 
that he cannot lead it to his partner. 

Declarer must be careful to get out of his 
own way, so as not to block his good suits ; but 
there will be little difficulty in this respect if 
he is careful to follow the rule of always play- 
ing the high cards from the hand which is 
shorter in the suit. With six to the king in 
one hand, queen, jack, small in the other, play 
small from the hand that has six cards ; and 



I20 



AUCTION BRIDGE 



play the queen and then the jack from the 
other, even if the ace wins the first trick. 

DISCARDING 

Declarer, seeing both hands, knows what he 
can best afiford to discard when he cannot fol- 
low suit. The beginner may perhaps need to 
have it pointed out to him that it is never nec- 
essary to keep the same number of the same 
suit in both hands. Suppose that declarer has 
to discard from his own hand and from 
Dummy's, and that he holds four clubs and 
diamonds in each. He can discard three of the 
clubs from the hand that is weak in that suit, 
and three of the diamonds from the other 
hand. If one hand is strong in both suits, he 
can discard his uncertain cards. 

When either of declarer's adversaries have 
to discard when playing against a trump dec- 
laration, the conventional rule is to discard the 
suit you want led, because it is highly impor- 
tant to inform the partner in which suit there 
is any chance for more tricks. This idea is 
borrowed from the experience of the Whist 
table, at which strength was always discarded 
when the strength in trumps was against the 
player. 

Some players discard weakness, even 



AUCTION BRIDGE 121 



against a trump declaration, trusting the part- 
ner to judge which of the other suits it is 
better to lead. This weak discard is probably 
the more common in England ; but it is never 
played in the United States. It is just as well 
in these days of difference of opinion, to ask 
your partner, before the rubber begins, which 
discard he affects. 

Against a no-trumper, the majority of 
players will tell you that they discard from 
weakness ; but you will find that they depart 
from this rule whenever it is necessary to pro- 
tect a suit; so you must not jump to the con- 
clusion that your partner is weak in a suit just 
because he discards it, even if he has told you 
that he discards from weakness as a system. 

Careful observation has convinced me that 
the safest rule when playing against a no- 
trumper is to discard the suit you are not 
afraid of — the suit which you do not think the 
declarer will attack next. This enables you to 
keep guard on the suit you are afraid of. Re- 
member that the discard is not for the purpose 
of keeping every possible trick in your long 
suit, but it is to keep the declarer from making- 
tricks which he has no business to make, and 
which he never could make if you did not help 
him along by unguarding the suit. 



122 



AUCTION BRIDGE 



Suppose the declarer is leading diamonds, 
and you have a suit of five hearts to the ace, 
king, ten, and three clubs to the jack; Dummy 
having nothing of value in either suit. Discard 
the hearts and keep the three clubs. The de- 
clarer is never going to lead a suit in which 
you have the ace, king, ten over him, after he 
has rim down all his diamonds. What he is 
going to attack next is probably the club suit, 
and your three to the jack may prove useful. 
Remember that jack in one hand, queen in the 
other, either twice guarded, is a sure stopper 
for that suit. Three to a jack or a queen is 
often the salvation of a no-trumper that would 
otherwise take the game and rubber away from 
you. 

IN CONCLUSION 

Practice is the principal thing, of course, in 
learning any game, and watching good players 
is a great help. Beginners will always find the 
really good players ready and willing to ex- 
plain their reasons for handling certain situa- 
tions which are not clear to the novice. 

Avoid criticising your partner, above all 
things ; because nothing so quickly destroys 
the mutual confidence which is so essential to 
success. If your partner does not know the 
leads, or does not understand your conven- 



AUCTION BRIDGE 



123 



tional bids and plays, you can still play your 
own hand to the best advantage ; but do not 
try to teach anyone the game during the prog- 
ress of a rubber. 

Above all, in Auction Bridge, as in all bid- 
ding games, do not be afraid. Bid your hand 
for all it is worth, so as to get the declaration 
if you can. There is a good old axiom which 
says that the man who plays the most games 
will win the most points. Fortune favors the 
brave. 

VARIETIES OF AUCTION BRIDGE 

There is one variation of Auction Bridge (the 
idea of which is apparently borrowed from the 
Russian game of Siberiac), in which the bid- 
ding is entirely by suits, the number of tricks 
to be taken not being mentioned. 

The dealer is not obliged to bid at all. and 
it sometimes happens that everyone passes and 
the deal is void. A mark is then placed upon 
the score sheets, showing that 50 points bonus 
is to be added to the eventual winners of the 
rubber. 

The suits maintain their usual rank — -spades, 
clubs, diamonds, hearts, and no-trumps. Bids 
outrank one another by suits alone. A player 
who is willing to declare hearts for the trump, 



124 



AUCTION BRIDGE 



even if he thinks he can make no more than 
the odd trick, outbids one who is wilhng to 
undertake a Grand Slam in diamonds. There 
is no doubhng. 

The declarer always plays with the Dummy 
for his partner, no matter who deals, and the 
player on the declarer's left always leads for 
the first trick before Dummy's cards are laid 
down. Only the declaring side can score be- 
low the line, so that a player must go out on 
his own declaration. 

If the declaring side makes the odd trick or 
more, it scores, as usual, 2, 4, 6, 8, or 12 points 
a trick over the book, according to the declara- 
tion. If the adversaries make the odd trick or 
more, they score in the same way, but above 
the line, and they add 50 points penalty for 
every trick that they make over the book. 
Suppose the declaring hand says hearts, and 
loses two by cards. His adversaries would 
score 116 above the line. 

Honors are scored as usual, and 100 points 
are added for winning the rubber. Little Slam 
is worth 50, and Grand Slam 100. There is no 
Chicane. 



Another variation, popular in many parts of 
America, is to bid by figures, so as to conceal 



AUCTION BRIDGE 



the bidder's intention as to the trump suit. The 
dealer must make a bid, and each player in 
turn can overbid by stating the numerical value 
of the game which he is willing to undertake. 
These figures include both the trick and the 
honor values in one sum. The rank of the suits 
and the value of the tricks is the same as usual; 
but there is an added declaration of misere, 
ill which each trick is worth 14 points. 

The honors must be taken home in tricks to 
count, and their value is simplified by making 
each honor in the black suits worth two points, 
and in the red suits four. Aces are worth six, 
and the last ace played counts double, so as to 
avoid ties. Only the difference between the 
honors is reckoned. If AB take home three 
out of five, they score for one. If they get 
home four, they score for three. If they get 
home three aces, none of them the last ace, 
they score for one only. 

After the dealer has started the bidding, 
each player can overbid as long as he is over- 
bid himself, the bid going round to the left in 
turn. Sometimes the bids keep one guessing. 
Suppose a player thinks he can make the odd 
in hearts, holding ace, king, queen in that suit, 
with others. He must have the majority of 
the honors, even if he fails to catch any, so he 



126 



AUCTION BRIDGE 



can bid twelve. The player on his left has 
three aces, and being sure of six for honors, 
bids eighteen, with a view to the odd at no- 
trnmp. Either of these bids might be almost 
anything, and many players conceal their suit 
by odd bids. I have known a player to bid 
twenty-two with five honors in diamonds in 
his hand, just to keep the others guessing. 

The highest bidder, when all others pass, 
names the trump suit, or no-trumps, or misere. 
The player on his left leads, and Dummy lays 
down his cards, the highest bidder playing the 
combined hands. 

In a trump declaration, the declaring hand 
must take the odd trick at least ; he cannot 
make his bid good w^ith honors alone. All 
tricks over the book count. 

If the bidder fails to make as many points 
as he has bid in a trump declaration, he scores 
nothing, not even for honors, and he loses 
double value for every trick by which he fails. 
Suppose he has bid twenty and declared hearts, 
winning the odd only, and three honors out of 
the five. The value of this is twelve points, 
so he is a trick short of his bid, twenty. He 
therefore loses sixteen. 

At the end of a no-trumper, the bidder must 
give back one of the tricks he has won, and 



AUCTION BRIDGE 



127 



the score is then settled by the difference be- 
tween the tricks held by each side. Suppose 
the bid was thirty, and the declaring side won 
nine actual tricks at no-trump, with three aces, 
one of them the last played. After giving back 
a trick, he has eight to five, a difference of 
three, at 12 points each, 36 for tricks and 18 
for aces — total, 54. 

If the declaration is misere, there are no 
trumps, and the declaring side tries to win as 
few tricks as possible. Aces count against 
the side taking them home. No matter how 
many actual tricks the declaring hand wins in 
a misere, the adversaries give him two of theirs 
at the end, and the difiference is then settled 
for. Suppose the bid is forty, and the misere 
player wdns three tricks and takes home the 
last ace. He gets two tricks from his adver- 
saries, making him five, but still three less than 
theirs, so he scores three times fourteen, or 42 
for tricks, and 6 for aces ; because the aces 
count against the holders of them at the end. 
They are therefore good discards, if the misere 
player can get rid of them on another suit. 

If the declarer fails in either a no-trump or 
a misere, he loses double. Suppose he has bid 
thirty-six, and wins eight actual tricks, with 
three aces, one the last. When he has given 



8^0¥ 30 IS08 
128 



AUCTION BRIDGE 



back the required trick, he has a majority o£ 
one only, worth 12 points, and 18 for aces ; so 
he is set back and scores nothing'. The adver- 
saries, who always reckon that it would have 
been tricks and not honors which would have 
been required to make the bid good, score one 
trick doubled, or 24 points penalty. 

If the bidder has the majority of tricks in a 
misere, or fails to make good his bid, he loses 
double the trick value, which is 14 each. The 
majority of the aces count against the side 
taking them in at misere, and the last one 
counts double, as usual. 

Everything is scored in a lump, and the 
game is at an end when each player has dealt 
once. The lesser total is deducted from the 
greater, and the difference is the value of the 
game to the winners, at so much a point. 

This is a much more interesting variation 
than it may appear to be from the description 
of it, although it lacks the element of infomi- 
ing the partner as to the suit in which the un- 
successful bidder is strong, as in the regular 
game of Auction Bridge. 



LE Ap '09 



AUCTION BRIDGE 




CONTAINING THE OFFICIAL LAWS OF 
AUCTION BRIDGE AS ADOPTED 
AND USED BY THE LEAD- 
ING CLUBS. 



AUTHOR OF " FOSTER'S COMPLETE HOYLE," "FOSTER'S 
WHIST MANUAL," "FOSTER'S WHIST TACTICS," ♦* FOS- 
TER'S DUPLICATE WHIST," "FOSTER'S COMPLETE 
BRIDGE," "FOSTER'S PRACTICAL POKER," 
POCKET GUIDE TO MODERN WHIST," AND 
THE INVENTER OF SELF-PLAYI.VG BRir>GE 
CARDS AND THE FOSTER WHIST 
MARKERS 




BY 



R. F. FOSTER 




NEW YORK 
FREDERICK A. STOKES COxMPANY 
PUBLISHERS 



